Shadows of my Past
by KHxxFFxxSoniSL
Summary: She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?
1. Chapter 1, The skirt chaser

**ATTENTION:** Those who have read the story until chapter four "Let´s talk about you and me" already, probably know what I´m asking you to do for me. I´d like you to choose which character you´d like me to introduce as **another love interest for Kairi** to spice the story up. He´ll also be a **main support for both her and Sora** , so choose what you see fit the most! :D Just **write a name in the Review Box** to let me know what your wishes for this character are! :D

1\. Roxas

2\. Vanitas

3\. Riku will be used for another kind of role, so please don´t vote for him.

Thank you! Enjoy the story! :D

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 **Title:** Shadows of my Past

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 **Summary:**

She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including its characters or used pictures. But I do own this story.

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 **Author´s note:** Hello readers! I´m a writer from Germany and have played KH for over ten years. I got the inspiration for this story while I was writing a book and decided to write a Kingdom Hearts-Version about Sora and Kairi because I absolutely adore those two! Enjoy the story and don´t forget to review! :D

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 **Chapter 1: The skirt chaser**

I have absolutely no idea how long I´ve been staring at the giant clock hanging closely over the board. Three o´clock. The very first day of autumn. Unfortunately. Because with autumn there came the cold. And I hated the cold. The weather was miserable to say the least. Just the kind of weather autumn was famous for. You just had to take a quick look out the window to see the abnormal large amount of water pouring down from the sky. It was as if someone up there would have serious emotional issues.

Mr. Ashton seemed to be quite unfaced by the gloomy weather situation. It didn´t influence his motivation at all. Not even a single bit. He just kept on talking about some equation solving methods and famous geniuses he obviously admired. I mean, of course he had to have some kind of passion for math. He was a teacher. This was his job, his life. But today he really went overboard. He was so into his speech that he didn´t even notice half of his class was slowly starting to doze off, me included.

Thirty students sitting in a ridiculously small room while using every bit of air this amount of space could give us…not exactly what you call paradise. This is exactly the kind of situation I´ll remember with a scowl on my face after graduating.

I stiffened in my seat when everyone suddenly started to stare in my direction. I mean, I was used to people staring at me because of my unique hair colour but this seemed to be quite different than usual. My classmates almost seemed to be concerned for my safety. In math class. And that creeped my out just a tiny bit. I was completely pulled out from my thoughts when Mr. Ashton decided to stand right in front of my desk while staring down on me with that nasty glare behind his old-fashioned glasses.

I gave him a shy smile to buy me some time. _Damn, why did he have to ask me_ _some stupid question now?!_

I swear, some teachers lived to ruin your life. And I wasn´t exaggerating. Mr. Ashton in his fury-mode is a Mr. Ashton you should stay clear of. I briefly looked behind him in order to get a glimpse of the board that would save me from getting disected. Inwardly I thanked my parents for giving me such a fast brain when it came to stuff like this.

"The equation has no solution", I answered quickly so he wouldn´t get too suspicious. I had to supress a growl when Mr. Ashton pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, one of his many unnerving habits I had to see almost every day.

"Very well done, Kairi."

I relaxed when he turned around, while almost tripping over his shoe laces. Only eight more minutes until the end of school. Just a few more minutes until it was time for me to walk from this one straight to my next nightmare.

I could do this. I knew I could.

The whole class stiffened, when the door was suddenly opened. Even the snoring stopped. Silence. Everyone was wide awake as they saw who had entered the classroom.

Every person inside this school building would have recognized this grin from a mile away. Two third of the feminine part of my class let out a dreamy sigh that gave me the urge to bang my head against the window next to my seat. I furrowed my brow, while the others stared at him with their mouth agape.

Did he seriously have a death wish?

Mr. Ashton looked like a giant bull ready to trample over the boy who had stopped his precious lesson.

"Mr. Willers", his voice was as cold as ice and as sharp as a knife, "I´m _glad_ you decided to show up. I think it is a record. You managed to actually enter within lesson time."

"I know, it´s stunning, isn´t it?"

His grin grew wider as he pushed his unnaturally spiky brown hair out of his face. I growled in disgust when I saw the condition of his school uniform. Wrinkled in all places possible, not to mention his ridiculously misplaced tie. Some of his buttons were unbuttoned, telling me within mere seconds why he didn´t show up on time.

 _Stupid skirt chaser._

Mr. Ashton crossed his arms while he stared at his most hated pupil he probably ever had.

"Yes, indeed", the sarcasm in his voice was very clear, "although I would highly recommend you to actually show up on time for once, Sora. I don´t think I have to remind you of your grades. They are far from ideal."

Sora cleared his throat, while he gave Mr. Ashton a bored look.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ashton. I´ll take your advise seriously and improve my punctuality. Now if you would-."

"Hold on."

The whole class held its breath while I had to supress the urge to bury my head in my arms. Maybe now was the time. Maybe Mr. Ashton would finally cast him out and save me from my daily torture. It was an unforgettable staring contest between teacher and student.

"You didn´t honestly think that I would just let you get away with your behaviour again, did you?"

Sora seemed to own some kind of intelligence because now he decided to stay silent. Mr. Ashton became furious, seeing the daring look in Sora´s eyes.

"Sora, I will not tolerate this any longer, do you understand!"

"Mr. Ashton, no need to shout your heart out. It´s not like I cant´t hear you from this distance."

"Brilliant", Mr. Ashton shouted even louder, "then I´m sure you can hear me when I´m giving you two hours of detention! Today! On a Friday afternoon! Because that´s what you deserve!"

Sora rolled his eyes while I covered my ears. I hated it when people shouted.

"Come on. Have a heart. If you let me live in peace, I´ll give you an extraordinary cup of coffee tomorrow. I even promise to be on t-."

"SILENCE!"

The girl sitting next to me gasped while Sora wiped Mr. Ashtons´s spit droplets from his cheek. He had a look of disgust on his face.

"Go to your seat. And don´t you dare to act out of order, if you know what´s good for you."

Mr. Ashton´s voice was dangerously low, giving Sora the last warning he could offer. Sora nodded, before he walked past the fuming teacher, through the middle of the classroom. He didn´t appear to be bothered at all.

What was his problem? He just got detention on a Friday afternoon! That was hell on earth!

I smelled the fainted fragnance of his Deodorant, while he strode past my seat. He briefly looked my way, ocean blue eyes shining with his passion for annoying me until he reached the line of my tolerance. I glared at him when he threw me one of his annoying grins before he sat down right behind me, obviously staring holes into my head. I growled again and decided to ignore him for the last few minutes. But it was hopeless.

A shiver went down my spine when I felt his minty breath in my neck telling me that he had bent over his desk to annoy me like he always did.

Mr. Ashton didn´t even notice. It was his mission to report Sora´s bad behaviour in a novel-like complaint letter for the principle. His hand moved without a single break. He was a mad man. It was as if he would know the words he had to write by heart. Not very surprising though. He had many years of practice.

"You know", I whispered while staring intently at the clock, "I heard there was a school in town perfect for hard cases like you. Abnormal behaviour and social integration problems and stuff."

I felt his breath again as he chuckled.

"Thank you for you concern. But I couldn´t possibly do that to you, Kairi. What would you do without me?"

"Enjoy my life a lot more than I do now", I answered coldly.

"Ouch. Right where it hurts, baby."

"Don´t you ever call me that, again", I hissed behind my shoulder.

"No need to be so shy", he whispered between a few chuckles, "I know you want me, Kairi."

"In your dreams."

"Exactly. You are the centre of every dream I have at night", I could feel his perverted grin, even though I didnt´even look at his face, "do you want to know what I´m dream-?"

"Absolutely not", I cut him off sharply, while balling my fists in my dark red hair.

"So…what about tonight?", he asked in a much more serious tone.

"Pardon?"

"Don´t play dumb with me, Kairi. When am I supposed to pick you up tonight?"

"Not at all", I answered while shooting him a glare over my shoulder, "I have no intention of spending time with you inside and outside of school. Mark my words, Willers."

"Sharp tongue. I give you that. But I´ll find out where you live someday. Giving up just isn´t my style. Maybe I should ask Naminé about it. You two seem to be close."

My blood was boiling with rage when he moved his face even closer. He was still grinning like an idiot. No, correction. He was the very definition of this insult.

This time I didn´t turn around, but stared right back into his ocean blue eyes that shone with his boyish passion for annoying me.

"I´m afraid, I can´t compliment you in any way. You are as dense and stubborn as always. Don´t you have any pride at all?", I countered with knitted eyebrows.

"Oh, in fact I am a very proud man, Kairi. Not everyone can call the most beautiful girl walking on this planet his girlfriend."

I tried to fight back the blush that crept up my cheeks but no chance. I quickly turned away from him only to see Mr. Ashton in his trance to complain about Sora in his letter.

"Never ever."

"Okay, then future-girlfriend", he said, "sooner or later you´ll give in to your natural instincts and stop resisting me, Kairi. After all, no one can resist me."

I rolled my eyes and looked at his smug face again. I had to resist an instict, indeed. To punch him square on his stupid face.

"Believe what you want to believe", I hissed, "but I´d advise you to leave me alone. And stop eye-raping me!"

"What´s with all of you and advising me today?"

"Shut up!"

Sora stared past my head, before he crossed his arms behind his head.

"Kairi, I´d advise _you_ to shut up now."

"Excuse me?! Are you out of your mind?", I hissed with clenched fists.

"Honestly, Kairi. Just keep your pretty little mouth shut for the last minute."

Before I could peel off his skin with my fingernails, I stiffened when I felt a dark shadow looming over my body. I gasped and quickly turned around, only to see Mr. Ashton with the most deadliest glare on his face I´ve ever seen him with. Holy shit. That was it.

Au Revoir, Destiny Islands. My life was fairly disappointing but I´ll still miss you.

"Kairi Standlers", his voice gave me a taste of what I had to expect, "it appears as if you would like to give Mr. Willers some company in the detention room this afternoon."

I stared at him, mouth so wide agape that it had to almost touched the ground.

That was hands down the last thing I intended to waste my freetime for.

"What? No! Mr. Ashton, please!", I begged.

"SILENCE!", he roared with the most frightening voice I´ve ever heard in my seventeen years of life. The whole class stiffened after his outburst, me included.

His eyes became small slits. His face was as red as a giant tomato. And his gritted teeth showed me that he wasn´t in the mood to debate about this situation at all.

My breath hitched. I could only stare at him wide-eyed and seriously worried about myself. He was out of control. That´s for sure.

I shivered when I saw the death-glare Mr. Ashton was giving me. But strangely my body relaxed almost immediately when I felt two warm and strong hands on my bare shoulders. I glanced behind me, only to see Sora towering over my crouched form, while returnting Mr. Ashton´s death glare with equal fervor.

"Don´t you ever raise your voice in front of her like this ever again", he threatened the fuming teacher with one of his own death-glares on his face, "I have no problem with you doing this to me. But if you ever treat Kairi like this again, I´ll make sure that you´ll have to talk with principle Ansem for once. That´s a promise."

Mr. Ashton blinked in surprise but didn´t dare to talk back to Sora, seeing his expression that could kill.

When the bell rang, everyone in class flew from this hellhole almost immediately, afraid to become a victim of Mr. Ashton´s fury, too. Sora pulled me out of my seat, still glaring at Mr. Ashton, before he led my still paralyzed body out of the room.

I didn´t blink once when he softly pushed me through the corridor like a toddler who had just recently learned how to walk properly. It was kind of embarassing.

Some girls standing next to the lockers began to giggle and shyly wave at Sora when we went past them, making me want to facepalm myself. Of ccourse, Sora being Sora, he just had to answer with one of his famous panty-dropper grins that made me growl inwardly. How could anyone fall for someone like him?

"You seem to be scared of loud voices", he broke the silence with a statement, after he returned the centre of his attention back to me.

"No one wants to be screamed at", I answered to dogde his curiosity.

"Don´t give me that bullshit. I know that you can take a lot. But you always shrink when someone shouts at you like this."

"So what. Maybe I´m not as strong as you think I am. Words can hurt more than force."

"Kairi", he pushed me into the detention room before he closed the door behind us, "I know you´re hiding something from me."

"So what? What are you? My dad?", I asked with heavy sarcasm in my voice.

"Thankfully not. I wouldn´t be able to get in your pants."

"Can you get any more gross?"

I covered my eyes with the palm of my hand.

"Sorry. That came out of nowhere", he apologized even though I knew he didn´t take it seriously, "but honestly, Kairi, you have to admit that you and I together seems to be wanted even by fate. Under normal circumstances we would have been able to go home, now. But see? Fate brought us together. So stop resisting me."

"Just shut up and leave me alone. You are just trying to justify your sick obsession with me. Just leave and have sex with one of your bimbos. I´m more than okay with it."

"Kairi, I´m not going to leave you", he answered with a determined voice which would have made every female being in this school but me faint, " why can´t you accept that I want to be with you and no one else? Is it that hard to believe?"

"You don´t even know me. You have another girl hanging around your arm almost every day. And to be honest…you are practically everything I avoid in a man."

"I don´t believe you", he stated with a grim Expression on his face, "and of course I do know you. I´ve known you since Junior-Highschool."

"Yeah sure", I answered with a roll of my eyes. He crossed his arms and stared at me intently, making me slowly raise an eyebrow at him.

"You can´t be serious about what you said before. I refuse to believe that shit."

"That´s not my problem", I shot back while laying my head down on the cold desk, "your behaviour is the perfect example for being narcistic."

"What about my looks? You have to admit that I´m a ten."

I could hear it in his voice. My statement had been a big blow to his pride. Not that I cared.

"Sora, just get a life", I almost begged. He carefully laid his hand on my back while he took the seat right next to me.

"I´m trying to, Kairi. But you won´t let me get close to you. I know I can make you happy. So just go out on a date with me, damn it!"

"Could you please take your hand off? It´s kind of disturbing that you are touching me", I whispered while I stiffled a chuckle because of his desperation, "by the way…you sound like an idiot talking like that."

"God, Kairi. You are driving me crazy!", he groaned while taking his hand back to himself. I let out a content sigh and decided to at least look at him while he was making a fool out of himself.

"I´ve noticed. But I repeat. I´m not interested. Go and target another girl. There are plenty at our school that would kill to spend a night with you."

"I´d rather spend the night with you", he whispered huskily. I shivered when I saw the lust shining in his brilliant blue eyes.

"Please, give me a chance. I won´t disappoint you."

"Have you seriously never considered that I already have a boyfriend?", I asked while lifting my head from the desk to look at him properly. Sora furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about?", he asked with noticable confusion and another emotion I couldn´t put my finger on in his voice.

"I´ll take that as a no."

"Who is it", he cut me off sharply and grabbed my hand, "tell me his name."

"Can you just leave me alone for once? I already told you. It would never work out between the two of us. Not ever."

"I want proof", he demanded with crossed arms. His tan skin and his white shirt distracted me for a short moment. The contrast was fascinating. I had lived in Destiny islands my whole life, too. But I had never managed to get even the slightest tan. Life surely was unfair.

His ocean blue eyes stared intently into my violet ones, pulling me out of my trance. I bit my lip, not being able to believe he could get any more annoying than usual. Why couldn´t he just leave me alone? It couldn´t be that hard.

My breath hitched in my throat when I thought of the right answer I should give him.

"You´ll just have to take my word for it. I can´t let anyone get close to me. No one."

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 **Author´s note:** Thank you for reading the first chapter of this story! I´m planning to continue writing "Shadows of my Past" and would be happy, if you could leave me a review or maybe a wish for the plot! I´m open for all! Thank you very much! :D


	2. Chapter 2, A green light

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters or used pictures. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note** : Hi everyone! :D Here comes the second chapter of "Shadows of my Past"! I hope you´ll like it! :D Don´t forget to leave a Review to let me know what you think of it! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A green light**

The ringing bell was without question the most beautiful sound I´ve heard so far on this day. I quickly rose from my seat and practically ran out of the detention room, hoping I could get rid of Sora by doing that. The past two hours were pure hell. He didn´t stop asking about my boyfriend because he was convinced that this had to be the reason why I always dumped him.

I growled when I heard his closing footsteps behind me. Of course he wouldn´t give up. This was Sora we´re talking about.

I balled my fists when he ran past me in order to open the door for me. His stupid grin made my blood boil and make me want to wipe that expression from his smug face. He raised an eyebrow when I walked straight past him, not even shooting him a single glance or thanking him.

"Sora, not only are you sexy and irresistible but also polite and thoughtful. I admire you from the dephts of my heart", he said in a voice that was supposed to copy mine. I growled again, while I put a strand of my red hair behind my ear.

"What are you smiling about, dork", I hissed sharply when I saw his face from the corner of my eye, "and who are you trying to imitate? I don´t talk like that!"

"Oh, it´s just that I simply love it when you do that."

"Do what?", I asked with raised eyebrows. He shook his head and put his hands in his pockets.

"Putting your hair behind your ear. It looks cute."

I returned his grin with a scowl and began to walk to the bus stop, while putting my hands over my head.

Stupid rain. Stupid day. Stupid Sora.

"Hey, I could give you a ride home. My car is not far from here."

I didn´t even turn around and took a glance at my clock, instead. Ten minutes. Just my kind of luck.

"Thanks but no thanks", I answered in a obviously bored tone, "I value my life too much and have no intention to end it this early."

"Did you just insult my driving skills, Kairi? I´m the safest driver in Destiny Islands!"

I heard it in his voice. Another blow to his pride.

"Oh please. Don´t give me that crap. I´ve seen you parking in the lots like a mad man. How did someone like you even end up with a license?"

He chuckled while crossing his muscular arms. The result of daily exercising in probably every sports club our school had to offer. I blushed and forced myself to look somewhere else.

"A man needs some risk", he said with a grin, "and I´m more than willing to take it."

I knitted my eyebrows, while I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don´t ask me something you already know."

His answer was very direct. And the tone in his voice showed me that it went in a direction I had absolutely no nerve for. My power was gone. I felt like a cow had trampled over me.

This was one of my worst days this year. And I have had a lot of them. Sora continued to watch my every move, trying to get some kind of reaction from me. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat.

What? Did he seriously expect me to hug him while calling him a tough guy? Ridiculous. Sorry, but that´s not the way I tick.

"Now if you would excuse me. I have to go home."

I didn´t even bother to properly say goodbye to him. It would only result in him making some of his stupid remarks that would make my blood boil with rage.

I sighed when I felt his hand around my bare upper arm, holding me in place.

"Sora, let go of me."

"Look Kairi, I´m sorry. I may seem like a jerk but I actually do care for you. Can´t you see that?"

I didn´t answer, but decided to turn around to look him in the face.

"You know what´s going on in Destiny Islands right now. Girls are getting killed on daily basis. I won´t let you wander around all by your own", he added with determination in his voice that made me sigh again.

"Sora, I can´t have an escort wherever I go. I have things to do and a life to live. And I´m not exactly looking forward to spending more time with you."

I took my arm back and walked another few meters closer to the bus stop. The rain was pouring down from the sky like crazy, slowly soaking me from head to toe.

I stiffened when I felt two strong arms around my waist pulling me closer to the warmth radiating from the body they belonged to. How could he be so warm when it was freezing?!

"Don´t go, please."

His lips were right by my ear, tickling me while he whispered. I rolled my eyes and squirmed in his grip. That was way too close for my comfort.

"Sora, come on. Let go of me. I mean it. It´s not my fault people are getting killed everyday. I have to go home anyway."

"Of course it´s not your fault. The only one to blame is Richard Startz, the so called major of Destiny Islands."

I stiffened in his arms but didn´t dare to turn around.

"What are you talking about?", I carefully asked so he wouldn´t guess what I was truly thinking.

"He is responsible for his people. But he isn´t doing anything. Destiny Islands is divided into Uppertown and Downtown. Rich and poor. And he doesn´t give a shit about this fact. He doesn´t even bother to think about people like us living in the Downtown, the so-called rat hole of this metropole. I bet he just sees us as a plague, a misfortune of nature."

"Sora, what are you saying? He managed to hire an elite group of agents to stop the constant killing down here! Or have you forgotten about that?"

"An elite group? Please. I could do a better job than all of them together", he countered grimly, "they are nothing more than a bunch of wannabes."

"Let go of me, Sora. Now."

He shook his head but slowly let me out of his arms, while giving me an unreadable expression when I walked away.

"It´s frightening that you seem to feel such hatred towards our major. Don´t tell me you know more than the police does. Because that would make you a main suspect."

I crossed my arms, before I started to walk away from him.

"Kairi, wait."

"God damn it! What is it, now? Just go home! You have a home, don´t you?!", I hissed behind my shoulder. I regreted my words almost immediately. Here, in Destiny Islands Downtown, this question was the most untactful thing you could ask someone. Life in the streets, poverty and hungry children were everyday life no one needed to be reminded of.

Sora stiffened, before slowly peeling himself out of his black leather jacket. Even though I seemed to have hit a nerve, he still came closer to me while offering me his jacket. I simply didn´t get him sometimes.

"Here. You take it. So you won´t get cold. And do me a favour. Don´t dump it somewhere disgusting, when you leave. It was expensive."

"What are you doing? You will get wet instead!", I protested, while I ignored his statement.

"Oh, I´ve taken much worse than a few droplets of water. Don´t you worry about me."

There was something...dark and sinister in his voice that caught me off guard for a moment. I simply blinked and stared at him, while he refused to look me in the eye.

He said nothing while he pulled his jacket over my slightly shivering frame struggling with my arms sometimes. I couldn´t help but feel guilty after having been so rude to him. When he pulled the zipper up to my neck, I actually felt like a giant toddler. His spiky brown hair stood up even though it was soaking wet. It was fascinating.

His startling blue eyes bore into mine when his hand lingered on my shoulder for a moment making me gulp nervously. His stare was so intense that I forgot everything around me for a second. _What the hell...?_

"Thanks", I stuttered uncomfortably, "but you honestly didn´t have to do that."

"I know", he answered sharply, "but I wanted to. So live with it."

Even though his words were sharp as a knife, his hands never became rough while he was putting his jacket over my body. He took a while, before he moved his hands away from me, but in the end he did.

"Then I guess I´ll see you on Monday. Get home safe."

I gulped when he slowly turned around, his hands inside his pockets and his hair bouncing up and down, while he walked towards the parking lots. My heart clenched. Somehow this didn´t feel right. And it stung me to admit that I had acted like a jerk.

"Sora!"

He stopped and raised an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder. I mentally kicked myself to get a grip, before I slowly moved in his direction until I stood merely a foot away from him. His eyes held an unreadable expression as they stared into mine.

"What is it?", he asked. It took me a moment to actually answer him. I didn´t know why I was doing this in the first place. It was very uncommon for me to approach him by free will.

"Look, I´m sorry about what I said before. I shouldn´t have done that."

I bit my lip when I slowly reached out to touch his upper arm that was drenched with water by now.

"And I´m grateful that you´ve given me your jacket."

"So am I boyfriend material now?"

I widened my eyes and took a couple steps back. A grin. _Was he fucking serious?!_

"Why you!"

He laughed at my reaction while pushing some strands of hair out of his face.

"I told you, no one could resist me", he was clearly amused about my face, "not even Kairi Standlers with her iron heart."

"I don´t have an iron heart, you jerk!"

I shot him a warning look that seemed to encourage him even further. He just loved to see me angry, I guess.

"You know, all you have to do is give me a green light for hitting on you, Kairi."

"In your dreams", I countered with crossed arms that screamed defense and carefulness.

I had to look like Satan´s daughter with my blood red hair that clung to my white-coloured face with my overly large violet eyes that always popped out. I often wished to look a little more normal and not so…outstanding. Maybe then Sora would decide to leave me alone and go for the classic beauties like Naminé with her silken blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

Sora chuckled and gave me a wink.

"We´ll see about that."

He blew me a kiss that made my blood boil, before he continued to walk to his car that stood somewhere between the teachers´.

I sighed while turning around to move to the bus stop, while making sure that no one was following me.

When I saw Sora turning on his black BMW, I quickly hid behind a tiny shop next to the bus stop, before I took out my cell phone. I waited a few seconds, before I dialed the first number in my protocoll while pulling the zipper of Sora´s jacket all the way up to my chin. I paused when I smelled his scent that slowly engulfed me. It was as if he was still holding me in his arms. Creepy. And not worth thinking about. _Get a grip, Kairi!_

Two beeps before I heard the person on the other line pick up. After that the starting of his limousine.

"Lady Startz? How can I be of service?"

I shivered, when he called me that name. A name I always wanted to escape from because it woke the darkest memories in my life. A shiver went down my spine, when I heard the alarming sound of gunshots in the back of my head. The terrifying sound that would follow me even after ten years.

"James, if it isn´t too much trouble, I´d like you to pick me up at the train station in Destiny Islands Downtown. Take the parking lot I´ve told you about. I´ll walk the short way there to make sure no one from my school including the teachers see me. And please make sure my father doesn´t catch you leaving."

"I understand. Be safe on your way to the train station. I´ll be there in no time, Lady Startz."

"Thank you, James. I´ll be waiting."

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 **Author´s note:** Thank you for reading! I´ll be very grateful if you would leave a review for me to let me know what you think of the story so far! :D have a nice day!


	3. Chapter 3, Home sweet home

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** Thank you very much for reading this story! It means a lot to me and I really hope that you enjoy reading it. Have fun with chapter 3 and don´t forget to leave a Review to let me know what you think of the story, so far! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Home sweet home**

I gave James a warm smile when he opened the door of the black limousine I was currently sitting in. He smiled back but I noticed his smile falter for a bit, when he saw the obviously too large leather jacket hanging over my frame. Not surprising though. Practically everyone in the household staff knew that secrets, weird incidents and I walked hand in hand.

"Thank you, James. I´ll reward you with a tasty strawberry bun after work tomorrow."

"You´re very welcome, Lady Startz."

I stiffened when he called me that again. But I tried to hide it so he couldn´t see my reaction. I had to train my pokerface.

The building in front of me was so large that it shouldn´t even be categorized as house anymore. It would have been big enough for giving half of Destiny Island´s people a roof aboth their heads.

I put my hand on the complex sensor next to the gate oft he white fence surrounding the giant mansion. It was almost ridiculous to take it that far. No one would dare to move that close to our mansion, if he or she valued his or her life.

A green light appeared an the sensor, before the gate opened automatically. I rolled my eyes as I walked down the perfectly cleaned stone path that led to the entrance of the building. I slowly raised my hand to knock on the giant door, but was surprised when it opened before I could even do that.

"Kairi, you´re late. I was worried something might have happened to you."

I would´ve recognized this voice everywhere. It was the definition of power and authority. And even though I grew up hearing his voice almost every day, I still felt the shivers running down my spine when he talked to me directly.

His blonde hair was so light that it almost looked like a shiny white that blended in perfectly with his equally white skin I had inheritated. His violet eyes bore straight into my own, as he opened the door completely to look at me properly. My heart clenched when I saw the hidden expression his eyes held whenever he looked at me. Sadness? Anger? Or simply emptyness? I couldn´t decide between the three options and honestly, I didn´t want to.

"Who does this jacket belong to?"

Another question that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I cleared my throat, while mentally kicking myself to get my act together. Hopefully I wouldn´t sound like a total wimp.

"It belongs to one of my classmates. He forgot his jacket at school and my teacher asked me to bring it to him on Monday", I answered without blinking once. He raised one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows. He hesitated for a bit, before asking another question. I felt like I was at court.

"I see. And you´re wearing it because…?"

"Because I was afraid to lose it somewhere. This way it would´ve been almost impossible to happen."

He sensed that I was lying, I could practically feel it in his aura.

"I can´t believe they would give you such a childish task. Schools in the Uppertown are supposed to have a delivery service for situations like that."

I could feel droplets of sweat on my forehead, while he went on and on with his complaining speech. This conversation was going into a direction I didn´t like even one bit.

"Dad, it´s getting kind of cold. Can I please come in?", I almost begged with a strained tone in my voice that seemed to pull him out of his trance.

"Of course. I´m sorry, darling. You may enter now."

He briefly stroke my cheek, before he moved aside so that I could entered the mansion. The difference in temperature was noticable almost immediately. I moved my head to look at the camin in the centre oft he giant living room tat was working all day under these weather circumstances. My father closed the door behind me, before he walked over to the TV where some kind of news report was currently on.

"Virginia has made some dinner about an our ago. It should be still warm, so feel free to dine, if you´re hungry. Unfortunately, I won´t be able to have dinner with you, darling. I am very busy right now."

I nodded absently, while I followed the news report on the TV with growing worry forming in my head.

" _We have been informed that the police has found another two victims in Destiny Islands Downtown. This time the place of crime has been much closer tot he Uppertown than ever, but Richard Startz´ elite forcement which is currently investigating in this case, doesn´t consider this as any kind of nearing danger for the people of the Uppertown. The victims were two young females under the age of twenty with strikingly red hair hinting that the criminal behind this murder seems to be the person all the forcements are looking for."_

I saw my father giving me a strange look from the corner of his eye, signaling me that he had something very important to tell me.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Kairi, I want you to be careful when you leave the house on your own. I would advise you to always take an escort with you or to inform either James or me of your plans outside school. I think, we can´t hide the fact that the victims share a disturbing resemblance with you any longer."

I gulped and slowly nodded.

He just had to voice the thoughts I have been trying to deny, hadn´t he?

"I can ask Riku to take care of you. I´m sure he would be more than willing to protect you", he offered with a hopeful tone in his voice. My face fell at the mentioning of his name.

"No, thanks. I´ll be good on my own. I don´t need his help", I hissed sharply. My Dad seemed to notice the hostility in my voice and decided to let it go for the moment.

"I´m going to take a bath. I´ve had a very hard day. I wish you a good evening, Dad."

My Dad was so into the news report that he didn´t even hear me talking. I let out a heavy sigh, before I went up the stairs leading to the second floor. Today they seemed to never end. No matter how many of them I took at once, I just had the feeling that I wasn´t getting any closer to the upper floor.

I forced myself to calm down. It was the stress. And the frustration. And the rainy weather. It had to be.

I didn´t even bother to greet an old lady from the household staff when I walked straight past her. I wasn´t in the mood. I had to reach my room. Fast. Or else others may see me cry. I didn´t even know what was going on with me that moment. I was an emotional wreck, afraid of the future that laid in front of me.

I saw the old lady giving me a sad look when I fought back the tears in my eyes, before I pushed open the door to my room. Everything was blank and white. Stony and cold.

I collapsed on my bed and could´ve cried at once when my eyes landed on the familiar photo on my night table.

My mother, a beautiful woman with shiny red hair and warm brown eyes, stood right next to my father who had actually smiled for once. When was the last time he had actually smiled? When was the last time, he had actually looked at me without this hidden pain in his eyes? It was obvious, why it was so hard for him to look at me. I was the spitting image of my Mom, besides the eye colour there wasn´t a single difference.

Why did life have to be so unfair? Why did she have to die? And why couldn´t the world just leave my family alone? _Would I be the next one who would have to die? Was this the reason why my Dad always gave me this special look in his eyes? Because he knew I had to die soon?_

I was pulled back into reality, when my cell phone vibrated inside the pocket of my blue skirt I had to wear to school. I groaned, but decided to pick up even though I felt like shit.

"Hello?"

"Wow, is that really Kairi I´m talking to?"

The voice lit up my day almost immediately.

"Naminé? Is that you?"

"The one and only. I think you owe me an explanation."

I raised my eyebrow.

"An explanation for what?"

"Don´t act like you wouldn´t know. What´s going on between you and Sora?"

The tone she used made my blood boil. She couldn´t possibly be serious about that. She knew what my opininion regarding that skirt chaser was.

"Naminé, what the hell are you talking about? You better talk or else I´ll hang up."

"Relax, Kairi. I´m only kidding. Has your day really been that miserable?"

"Understatement of my life. It´s going down with me. My life is the definition of disappointment, Nami", I answered with a grim voice.

"Is it because of Sora? Was your date not like you had expected?", she asked. My eyes almost jumped out of my head.

"What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?!"

"The girls are talking about it non-stop. Sora is their hobby. And they say that you and him went out on a date today."

"Naminé, please tell me that you don´t believe that crap! Sora and I had to sit in the detention room for bloody two hours! It was hell on earth! I wouldn´t go out on a date with him, even if my life would depend on it!", I screamed with desperation in my voice.

"Calm down, Kairi. I only wanted confirmation. I found it hard to believe myself, even though I´m secretely rooting for a relationship between you two."

I rolled my eyes. This was the point where I should have ended our friendship. How could she even think about me getting dumped by the school´s most famous skirt chaser after he would´ve won his game?

"How come I haven´t seen you at school all day?", I asked to change the topic.

"I am sick. You don´t want to know the details, believe me", she answered. Now that she mentioned it, I could definately hear something raspy in her voice.

"Oh, poor thing. I hope you can come on Monday. Art was so boring without you."

"Oh please. Don´t make me laugh. Sora is in practically all of your classes. How could it have been boring?", she asked. I growled after being reminded by that fact.

"I´m telling you, Naminé. This guy is the devil! He Chose the same classes as me because he wanted to torture me! We both know that he sucks in art!"

"But he is a very good athlete", Naminé added with honesty in her voice.

"Well, you have to be good in something. Thankfully, he isn´t in my PE class."

"Well, boys and girls are always divided in PE", she reminded me after a sneeze.

"Are you alright, Nami?", I asked with concern lacing my voice.

"I´m more worried about you, Kairi."

My heart stopped. My breath hitched in my throat. So she thought the same.

"Have you seen the most recent news report, Kairi?", she asked with a now dead serious voice.

"Yes, I have. And I´m afraid I have the same fear you have", I whispered back. My voice sounded small and breakable in this overly large room.

"We shouldn´t jump into conclusions. But I´d advise you to be careful outside. You never know what creeps may lurk behind the corners."

"Thank you for your concern, Nami."

"No problem. I have to hang up. My mom wants me to help her make dinner."

"Naminé, wait!", I called. She paused and listened to what I had to say.

"If Sora should ask you were I´m living, don´t tell him. He mustn´t know that. No one."

I could practically feel her rolling her eyes on the other side of the line.

"Okay, fine. But I seriously don´t understand why it is such a problem to you that you are living somewhere in the Uppertown. It´s not the end oft he world, you know?"

"Just don´t do it, okay? Promise me."

"I promise. And now stop being such a drama queen and relax for a bit. It would do you good."

I smiled.

"Thank you, Nami. I´ll see you on Monday. Get well soon!"

"I will. Goodbye!"

I ended the call and laid down on the soft mattress trying to actually relax for once. I should probably take a bath first but somehow I just wanted to lay down right now. It wa as if all of my power had been sucked out of me. I felt empty. And helpless. And alone in this giant world filled with lies and secrets I lived in.

I picked up my phone after I heard it vibrating again. It couldn´t be Naminé. She had to help her mom prepare dinner. I raised my eyebrow, when a number I had never seen once before in my life was diplayed.

 _I´m thinking of you, wherever you are. But I guess that´s no big secret to you anymore. XD I just know that you´re blushing right now, Kairi, and that secretely you´re thinking of me, too. Have a splendid night, baby._

 _PS: Before you claw poor Naminé´s eyes out, I´d like to tell you that it wasn´t her fault I got your number. XD_

I had to resiste the urge to throw my cell phone into a corner of my room. Somehow, I just knew whom this number belonged to.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** This was a fairly short chapter about Kairi´s life at home and the lie she is trying to keep up. The next one will focus on a lot Sora and Kairi stuff. Keep reading, I promise you that the next chapter won´t disappoint you!:D


	4. Chapter 4, Let s talk about you and me

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** This is one of my most favourite chapters I´ve planned for this story! :D

I hope you´ll enjoy reading it! Prepare yourself for some serious Sora and Kairi romance! XD

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Let´s talk about you and me**

Did I ever mention that I hated the way life was treating me lately? I´m pretty sure, I did. More than just once.

I put my head on the palm of my hand, as I stood behind the counter of the coffee shop I was currently working at. Destiny´s Embrace. The name had a certain ring to it, I guess. But the uniforms I was forced to wear were the definition of embarassing. A white top with a smiling squirrel on its front and back. The mascot of the café. The black skirt that reached my mid-leg was decent but walking around with this smiling squirrel on my upper body made me feel like a little kid again.

If my Dad would know about my secret working place, he would surely give me home arrest for the rest of my lifetime.

Luckily no one seemed to recognize me down here in Destiny Islands Downtown. My Dad always made sure to keep me out of media gossip.

"Hey there, pretty lady. Are you the one who can take my order or are you actually what I´m looking for? `Cause you sure look tasty."

I rolled my eyes, before I looked up to another customer of mine. His body stature screamed basketball player because he looked like a giant grizzly bear. No kidding. It was almost frightening.

"I´m _charmed._ What would you like to order, Sir?", I asked through gritted teeth. Was it honestly too much to wish for? I just wanted a normal customer that wouldn´t oogle at me like I was some kind of food.

"Oh, you can call me Jeffrey. And I´d like to have a very special order."

I held my breath, while raising one of my eyebrows. Here we go.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I´d like to have a big latte, if it isn´t too much trouble."

The grin he wore on his face almost made me want to vomit.

"Not at all", I answered with a faked smile on my lips, "coming right up."

"I´ll be waiting."

I don´t think I have ever made a drink as fast like this one. I should honestly get promoted for this. It was my goal to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"Here, I even put some extra sugar in it", I said with my still faked smile on my lips, "that´s 100 munny, please."

I saw that he had already left the money right next to me on the counter, even some tips. But when I reached out to grab it, he dared to move his hand over mine.

I shot him a look that could be interpreted as warning but not inpolite. He was a customer after all. I had to stay professional, if I wanted to keep my job. And I needed it to feel like a normal teenager. Staying in that giant mansion all day would drive me crazy someday.

"That´s awfully nice of you, cutie. But to be honest, I´d like to have something else from you."

I gulped, while I tried to wrestle out of his grip in order to reach the money not even a centimeter away from my fingertips. Couldn´t he just leave like any other normal person would? Did fate just have to make me suffer on daily basis?

"Hey, dude. If you´re done, I´d advise you to scoot over. Some people here are desperately in need for a cup of coffee."

Yes, fate did have to make me suffer on daily basis. And it loved doing it.

"Sora?", I gasped with raised eyebrows. What the hell was he doing here? On a Saturday afternoon.

"Are you deaf or stupid? I want to order my coffee, dude", Sora hissed at Jeffrey, while ignoring me completely. He was still dressed in his soccer clothes with his white-blue T-shirt, matching white shorts and dark blue knee socks that contrasted with the tan skin on his legs.

Jeffrey growled, but decided to let go of my hand after he saw the look in Sora´s eye. He may be a lot lighter than some people. But he was a very skilled fighter. Everyone in Destiny Islands Downtown knew that. I believe he consisted of nothing more than skin and muscle.

Sora didn´t waste any time and strode forward until he reached the counter. He put his elbow right next to my Hand so that we were almost touching each other and gave me one of his famous grins that made me sigh in annoyance.

"What would you like to order?", I asked lamely in order to not start a conversation with him and to get rid of him as soon as possible, too. Brilliance.

"You", he answered boldly while pushing his spiky brown bangs out of his ocean blue eyes in a irresistible manner. Luckily I was born immune to guys like him.

"I´m afraid that your order is sold out. You may leave now."

Sora knitted his eyebrows. I guess he still thought that I had a boyfriend that would keep me from falling in love with him.

"I´ve been watching you for whole two hours. Even at work you seem to be totally into it. That´s what I call dedication."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. _That´s what I call stalking._

"Are you even hearing yourself, Sora?"

"Indeed, I am. And what I´ve said is the complete truth. If my friends would find out that I´ve been following some girl, they would never let me hear the end of it."

I grinned.

"Perfect. Just the kind of information I need. Behave or else I´ll consider ruining your reputation", I said with a devilish smile on my lips.

"Nah, if they know that it was you I´ve been following, it´ll be only half as bad. They have the hots for you, anyway."

I blushed, while he grinned after he had won the upperhand in this conversation.

"But, of course I wouldn´t even think about letting anyone of them even put a finger on you. You belong only to me."

"You are simply laughable", I countered with an annoyed voice, "now, if you would excuse me. I´m done for today. I´ve reached a remarkable level of stupidity encounters I don´t intend to cross."

"I can make you something, if Kairi can´t help you out."

I wanted to bang my head on the counter when I heard Selphie, the most popular girl of our school, coming closer to us. It was well-known that she had the hots for Sora. I bet, they even dated or fucked some time. No wonder. Her beautiful brown hair und shiny emerald eyes were definately something to go for, I guess.

"Selph, long time not seen."

"We could change that", she answered in a flirty tone. I let my hand glide down my face, before I started to walk away. This wasn´t happening right now.

"I think, I´m going to barf at this rate. Selphie, take over for me. I´m leaving."

While Selphie seemed to be quite pleased after hearing this kind of information, Sora seemed to be ticked off. A lot.

"Hold on a sec, Kairi. I´m the customer. So I can decide who is supposed to make my coffee."

I turned around and shot him an unbelievable glare.

"Are you serious?! Selphie is standing right next to you and more than willing to… _serve_ you", I answered with a short pause in my sentence, "just let her do it, idiot."

"Do I really have to report you? Kairi insults a costumer and refuses to serve him. Do you think your boss would be happy about that?"

I wanted to punch him square on his stupid face. I wanted to do it so much. But with Selphie and the still gawking Jeffrey as witnesses I couldn´t possibly do that.

"Fine", I hissed, while I walked back to the counter. I gave him my back, while I was pushing the buttons of the machine. I played with the thought to create the most disgusting coffee ever served on this planet, but I decided against it knowing that Sora would look through my following act of innocence.

"Sora, are you free this evening? I´d like to meet with you", Selphie whispered huskily. She closed the distance between herself and our famous skirt chaser within mere seconds.

I don´t know why Jeffrey was still standing there, gawking like an idiot but I guess some people just weren´t the brightest. He hadn´t even touched his coffee, giving me the confirmation that he really just entered because he wanted to hit on me. But how did Sora even know that I was working here, exactly?

"Sorry, Selph. This evening I´m going to do something with Kairi. I´ve promised her to give her more attention."

I almost spilled the ingredients of the big cup I was just carrying in his direction.

"What are you talking about?! Don´t tell her this kind of crap!", I shouted with venom in my voice that would´ve made any other human being than Sora run away in order to save his or her life.

"Kairi, don´t deny it. Selphie, look-."

"I´m not denying anything! I´m leaving!"

I ripped his 150 munny out of his Hand and rudely gave him his cup of coffee that almost spilled over. I didn´t even bother to give him his change, before I stomped into the changing cabin for the staff.

"Stupid Saturday! Stupid coffee! Stupid Sora!", I hissed, while throwing my top over my head and picking up my black top with red leather jacket. My life was a growing Desaster, that´s for sure. Couldn´t I just go through a single day without him trailing behind me?

I took my time before I left the cabin, hoping Sora would have left by then.

The coffee shop was empty indeed when I stepped out. I guess, sometimes fate did listen to its victims.

"Finally, I´ve considered to join you in there."

Okay, maybe not. How yould I even think of being optimistic?

"It´s nice that you intend to move into this place. But I wish to leave now", I countered with heavy sarcasm in my voice. The keys in my hand made a jiggling sound, as I walked tot he entrance. It was dark outside, already. Another annoying thing that came with the begin of autumn.

When I saw that Sora still hadn´t budged, I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Come on, you lazy-bum. I have to close the shop."

He quickly lifted his T-shirt to show me his bulging sixpack that ended in a very impressive v-muscle below. I blushed and forced myself to look away. _What the hell was that?_

"Lazy-bum, hm?"

I heard his approaching footsteps, while he took another sip of his coffee.

"The best coffee in all of Destiny Islands. Without doubt. Ane also handmade by my lovely one. You wanna try it?"

"No thanks. I only want to leave right now."

He raised an eyebrow and slowly closed the distance between us, so that he stood merely a feet away from me.

"Talk about personal space", I murmured while playing with some strands of my hair and rolling my eyes at his behaviour. I seriously needed a haircut. It was reaching almost my breasts by now.

"Are you not feeling well? You look kind of down."

Was that genuine concern he was showing? Nah, probably not. Just one of his tactics to get in my pants when I let my guard down.

"Nothing goes past you, does it, Captain Obvious?"

He rolled his eyes and softly put one strand of my hair behind my ear.

"What did I tell you about touching me?", I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry. I just can´t help it when I´m close to you. I love your hair", he answered with a gentle smile on his lips that made my heart skip a beat. I mentally kicked myself for thinking such weird things, before crossing my arms. Psychological defence stance. The first step into the right direction.

"It has such an fascinating colour. Dark red. Almost like a rose. And it looks so soft", he continued while staring intently at me, "I´ve always liked your eyes. I can never tell, if they are blue or violet. It´s a perfect mixture of both colours, I guess."

"Go on, I´m getting paid per hour", I murmured with another roll of my eyes. He sighed and lowered his face, so that I was alarmed almost immediately.

" _What_ exactly are you _doing_ , Mister?", I hissed.

"Tell me", he whispered, while his lips lingered only mere centimeters over my own, "what is this boyfriend of yours like? Is he taller than me? More muscular? Sexier? Even though this is almost not possible."

I took a couple of steps back, but he kept following me until my back hit the wall.

"Sora, stop it", I said with uncertainty in my voice. He put both of his arms next to my head, after getting rid of the cup of coffee.

"Kairi, I want you more than anything. I´ve never wanted someone as much as I want you", he whispered with an almost pained voice that made my breath hitch.

"Sora, come on. Let me go. You know what I´ll say. I don´t feel the same."

"Is that so", he asked with knitted eyebrows, "or is that what you want to believe?"

"You just don´t take no as an answer, do you?", I shot back, while balling my fists that were touching the wall by now.

He chuckeld, while he lowered his face down to mine. The intoxicating smell of his deodorant filled my nostrils again and I found my knees slowly going weak the closer he got. His smell was definately something I actually found attractive. But his personality was improvable, to say the least.

"I can make you happy", he continued, while his eyes never left mine, "I will do everything to please you, Kairi. Just let me."

His last sentence almost sounded like a purr and it made a giant shiver run down my spine.

"Just let me", he repeated huskily. I shook my head and pushed against his muscular chest that was almost touching mine by now.

"Sora, stop it. I mean it."

I stiffened when I felt his warm and moist lips against my cheek. They lingered there for a moment, before he slowly pulled away from me. His eyes shone with hidden lust and his fists were balled by his sides. I had brought him to his knees with just resisting him.

"Damn it, Kairi. You are driving me crazy", he grunted with a pained expression on his handsome face, "just who exactly is that bastard you´re with? Tell me. I´ll rip his balls out, if I find out that he got the chance to kiss you...or even more."

I sighed, before I slowly took an uncertain step towards him. I was annoyed by his kind of behaviour, that was true. But I wasn´t a heartless person. I cared for others feelings and he obviously seemed to feel at least some kind of affection towards me. It was hard to tell after his numerous flicks and his endless list of girlfriends he had dumped after a great night.

I hesitated, before I slowly put my hand on his cheek, making him look at me with a warm passion in his eyes that mixed with his jealousy.

"Look Sora. If you would stop acting like this and behave normal towards me, I could actually tolerate you", I began without blinking once, "but I can´t let you get as close to me like you want me to. I just can´t. And I won´t. So stop trying."

He put his hand over mine, while moving his thumb lovingly over my knuckles. The contrast between our skin colours was immediately noticable.

His – tan and warm from spending so much time on the beaches of Destiny Islands and living outside in the light of the shining sun.

And mine – pale and sickly white from living a life in the shadows that was nothing more than a poor lie. He didn´t know my true self. The daughter of the man he hated with passion. The untouchable girl that would bring misfortune and danger to anyone who dared to get to close to her.

"I can´t, Kairi. I just can´t. It kills me – staying away from you. I´m always thinking of you. I have no idea what you are doing to me but it´s like you are holding me in the palm of your hand, being able to crush me within a second."

My heart clenched, as this words left his lips. His blue eyes that normally shone with boyish charm and would put the colour oft he ocean to shame, seemed to dull like a sky right before a storm. I actually pitied him.

"Sora, I just can´t."

My life was a path chosen by my father. He had made sure that I had everything in my life. Including the perfect man for me.

"Just tell me his name", he repeated with hatred clouding his voice. The grip on my hand tightened.

"I´m warning you, Kairi. You should answer me. I tend to get jealous, easily. And I lose interest in girls very fast, if they can´t please me."

I had to supress a laugh when I heard him theatening me with this statement. First he almost cried like a puppy telling me that he couldn´t live without me and now he was honestly giving me the warning, he could lose interest in me? That surely sounded like music in my ears.

I took my hand back to my side, before I crossed my arms in front of my chest. His eyes followed my every move, before halting directly at my eyes.

"I tend to not to care."

His eyes blinked after I had said those few words. And they told me without doubt that he would keep being interested in me for a while longer.

"You are driving me crazy."

* * *

 **Author´s note:** Thank you for reading this chapter! What do you think of this story, so far? Let me know by leaving a review for me! Have a nice day! :D

 **ATTENTION: I´d like you to vote for the new main character of this story. Which of the following characters should be introduced as another love interest for Kairi, but also as a main support for both her and Sora in the story?...they´ll both need it. I can´t give you too many details, but believe me when I tell you that he´ll spice the story up!:D Just write a Name in the Review Box to let me know who you´d like to see in the next chapters :D**

 **1\. Roxas**

 **2\. Vanitas**

 **3\. Riku will be used for another role in the story, so please don´t vote for him.**

 **Thank you all for your help!:D**


	5. Chapter 5, Dark secrets

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters. But I do own this Story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** Hello everyone! Here´s another (fairly short) chapter of "Shadows of my Past" that might confuse you a bit at the beginning. You have to think carefully when you want to guess who the following characters are supposed to be. But don´t worry! It´ll all make sense in chapter 6, another fluffy chapter you´ll hopefully enjoy :D Please don´t Forget to leave a review, it helps me great deal! :D Have fun with the story!

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 **Unknown POV**

The small sound of my steps could be heard when I entered the familiar room in front of me. For normal people the darkness inside would have surely been bothering, but I couldn´t help but find it somewhat calming.

No one could see me in the dark. And sometimes I just wanted nothing else but that. Silence inside the darkness.

When I opened the giant stone door in front of me, my eyes immediately landed on a young man in the centre of the room who was currently sitting in his most favourite leather seat that blended in perfectly with the darkness surrounding it.

"You called me?", I slowly let the first words of our conversation slip my lips. He rose from his seat after hearing my voice, before slowly turning around to face me. I almost smiled. Of course. How typical of him. I bet he had another shitty day behind himself.

I knew he was watching me closely, even though he was wearing that famous white mask of his that covered everything on his face but his eyes. His startling blue eyes that put the colour of the ocean to shame. A small smile played on the corners of my lips, as I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

I had never been a social butterfly but I have always been a close analyser. Reading people, looking right through them, was my specialty.

He looked troubled. It didn´t take me that long to realize that.

"Yes, I did", he answered after the silence became too awkward, "I´m glad you came."

I took another step in his direction in order to get a better view of his eyes – the door to everyone´s precious soul.

"I know you love your secrets", I said while stretching my arms in a relaxing manner, "but I´d honestly like it, if you could be a little bit more specific about the topics at hand. I had absolutely no time to prepare myself for this conversation."

He snorted at my remark.

"Come on. Don´t act like an old geezer. I just wanted to talk to you. No big deal, jeez. I almost forgot what a wimpy drama queen you are."

I rolled my eyes. Another typical trait of him. Avoiding topics he didn´t like instead of facing them head on.

"Did something happen to Xion?", I asked carefully. He lifted his head, so that our eyes could meet properly. Pure sadness.

"Don´t ask me something you already now", he whispered, before he walked straight past me. I took a glance behind my shoulder, seeing his pitch black cape floating behind him like a giant flag.

"Come on. You can tell me."

He stopped right in front of an old mural hanging in the centre of the grey wall he was facing. He let out a sad sigh showing me just how messed up his life was right now.

"I could. And I would", he began with a tired voice that seemed to lack his usual ring that would make every girl melt like putty in his hands, "but I don´t think I have to."

He urged me to look at an old calender hanging on the wall behind me. I turned around to see what he wanted to show me.

"You see that red cross on January, 3rd?"

"Yes?", I answered with raised eyebrows. It was hard to miss. Where was he going with this exactly?

"This is the deadline I have", he continued with grimness lacing his raspy voice, "I need the money. And I need it fast. Or else I´ll have to pay a price even higher than that. I love her. I can´t lose her. She´s all I have left."

His voice broke in the end of his sentence, making me gulp nervously. Sweet little Xion. Who could not love her?

"Has it gotten worse? Is there really no hope for her?", I asked even though I already knew the answer to my question. It was a mere act of helplessness.

"If there would have been even the tiniest chance that I could save her, then I wouldn´t have asked for your presence here", he answered while looking to the floor, "I want you to know it. You´ve been by my side for as long as I can remember."

"What about our other mission?"

The question slipped from my mouth, before I could stop it. He raised his head again, his eyes were as sharp as always when it came to this topic.

"We´ll proceed the way we always did. We can´t let anything get in the way of our mission. I have sworn to myself that I would find her in order to revenge my parents. And I´m here to do just that. I owe this to Xion."

I sighed, while I closed my eyes.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? You know what I´m thinking about this."

"I´ve never forced you to do anything", he reminded me with a quick glance from the corner of his ocean blue eyes. The black cross on his white mask always managed to pull me in a kind of trance.

"But she´s so hard to find. How are we supposed to get a hold of her?"

My cheeks hurt from lying so much in a row. But I couldn´t let him know anything about my true thoughts.

He chuckled. But it wasn´t a happy one. It was cold, raspy and sinister, giving me a chill by just hearing it.

"Oh, they don´t call me the Prince of Thieves for nothing. Leave it to me. After all I´m the infamous boss of MASG for a reason."

I nodded absently, before I slowly turned around in order to leave. It was no use. Taking to him, I mean. His heart seemed to be caught in a ice-cold shell that no one could break through. Maybe one person but she was clearly out of the picture.

Little did he know that the girl we were looking for was closer to him than he thought. But I wouldn´t let him harm her. I would protect her, even if it would cost my life. After all, that´s the reason I´m here.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

I stiffened slightly, before I carefully glanced over my shoulder. My heart clenched when I noticed that he had taken off this mask of his for once. His face brought back so many memories.

"What is it?"

"There should be another one of my girls waiting outside. Could you please escort her in?"

I had to supress a growl.

"Are you serious? Another one", I asked with knitted eyebrows, "I thought you were crazy in love with this chick at your school."

He didn´t answer anything for a while until he decided that he didn´t want me to win this conversation.

"Just shut up and do it already, damn it."

I shook my head when I saw him turning around, so that he could reach his bottle of whiskey standing on the small stone table right next to his seat.

"As you wish", I whispered while I inwardly asked myself, what would be able to mend his broken heart.


	6. The beginning of my worst nightmare

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including its characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** First of all I´d like to thank all of the readers who supported me by reading this story, mailing me and leaving me a review. It means a lot to me! I apologize for any kind of spelling mistakes. I am trying to minimize them but even then I can´t help but miss some of them at times. I´ll take care of it when I find the time for it, I promise. Now I´d like to give you chapter 6 of this story, the last one before I´ll introduce the character you have voted for!:D Enjoy and Review!

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 **Chapter 6: The beginning of my worst nightmares (Kairi´s POV)**

While Mr. Ashton was showing his undying passion for math, obviously still not grasping that his lessons were hell on earth for every student at this school, I was secretely texting Naminé under my desk.

 _Rumour has it that another three victims have been found since Friday. It´s kind of creepy. Five dead women in four days._

I let out a tired sigh, before I made sure that Mr. Ashton was still talking about his most favourite topic he surely liked to talk about. Math.

 _Please. Understatement of my life. Be happy that you aren´t a readhead._

It didn´t take long, before she texted me again.

 _You know. Sora seems to be kind of down today. What have you done to this poor boy now?_

I knitted my eyebrows, while taking a hesistant look behind my shoulder. It was surprising that he actually managed to be on time for once. I believe he entered class even before me and that was truly a remarkable fact, let me tell you.

I raised my eyebrow when I saw his gloomy expression and his crossed arms.

His bangs hid his eyes from me, so I couldn't see the emotion in them I needed in order to find out what was going on with him. Maybe he was dumped by another girl than me. That would have been spectacular.

When he noticed me staring at him, he slowly lifted his head, meeting my questioning eyes with his own. Blue met violet. I simply stared at him without blinking once, while I could feel the short but intense spark between us as if we would be trying to look into one another´s head. I nearly lost it when he decided to show me the most annoying of his actions. One of his trademark nerv-killing smirks that made my blood boil without reason.

I rolled my eyes and turned around, not wanting to deal with any of this shit right now.

 _I have no idea what you´re talking about. He looks pretty normal to me. Although this would be kind of an insult for the definition of normality._

Naminé took her time, before she texted me again. Sadly this was one of the classes we didn't sit next to each other.

 _Whatever you wanna believe._

It bugged me. The fact that a small part of me cared about what was going on with this stupid skirtchaser sitting behind me, almost drove me nuts. This was not how I was supposed to act towards him. And feel for him.

The end of math class came surprisingly fast. And I didn´t even waste a second to escape from this prison we were forced to go every day. Mr. Ashton still kept on talking, even though more than two thirds of his class had already left the room. Weird guy, even though I had to admit that you honestly got the feeling of being a tiny bit smarter after his lesson.

My red hair was flowing behind me like crazy, making me look like a wandering flame. I nearly lost my schedule I was holding.

Stupid wind. Stupid autumn. Stupid Monday.

I hugged my books close to my chest, while I pickud up the pace to reach the gate of the school building faster. My heels made a clunky sound, while the wind nearly made me close my eyes. This weather was out of control. If someone talks about global warming today, I´ll just let him or her stay outside for an hour.

"Kairi!"

I halted shortly before I reached the gate, before I turned around to see who had called me. Why was I even asking?

The person closing the distance between us, until we stood merely a feet away from each other was none other than Sora Willers. The one and only.

"Sora, what a surprise", I greeted him with heavy sarcasm lacing my voice. I raised an eyebrow when I saw him grinning at me like an idiot. Talk about bipolar people. Somehow he suddenly seemed like a total different person than before. Well…more like his normal self. Big correction.

"What are you grinning about? Has your mental health finally reached its breaking point?"

He crossed his arms, still grinning at me like some kind of kindergarden mascot.

"Very funny, Kairi. But no. I was just enjoying the sight, if you know what I´m talking about."

I almost wanted to roll my eyes at his stupid remark until I realized what he was truly talking about. I blushed a crimson red, but he couldn´t blame me because of this crazy weather.

"Oh. I´m sorry. Here, you can have your jacket back."

I started by slowly pulling down the zipper, but stopped when he laid his hand on mine.

"No, just keep it. I have plenty of them."

I raised my eyebrow again, trying to figure out his ulterior motive. Sora wasn´t the kind of person who would do you a favour without expecting anything in return…which was mostly related with perverted things.

"That is awfully nice of you", I answered carefully, "but it´s not like I don´t have clothes on my own. I was just wearing it because I would´ve forgotten it at home else. I can be kind of dizzy."

A small smile played on the corners of his lips.

"Don´t you worry your pretty little head. Anything for you, baby."

I growled, while getting rid of the black leather jacket in a record time. He laughed when I pushed it in his chest without even bothering to interact with him any longer.

 _Stupid skirt chaser._

"Come on! I was just kidding! Wait up!", he called while jogging next to me to keep up with my fury-pace.

"I have to go to class now."

"Kairi, I know that. We have practically every class together."

"Kairi!"

I immediately stopped in the middle of the corridor in which we were currently standing.

"Namine! Thank goodness! I was worried that you might not come today!"

Finally something to be happy about.

I gave her a tight bear hug between best friends, while giving Sora one of my glares when I noticed him staring at us intently. Talk about privacy.

"Now, why don´t you greet me like _that_ , Kairi? That would be a way better start for the day, don´t you think?"

I pulled myself out of Naminé´s arms, before I poked Sora rudely in his stone-hard chest.

"Can you leave me alone for just a second? I can´t believe that a seventeen-year old teenager is capable of acting like such a child!"

He chuckled and tried to grasp my hand with his, but luckily Naminé pulled me away from him just in time.

"I´m very sorry, Sora. But Kairi and I need to have a very private conversation about her boyfriend now", Naminé said. There was a devilish glow in her sky blue eyes that made a cold shiver run down my spine. This innocent girl owned the heart of a demon, I swear.

Sora widened his eyes and took another step in my direction.

"So you _do_ have a boyfriend", he growled with anger lacing his voice, "now I have the confirmation I need! Kairi, you can´t be serious! I can´t believe that-!"

"-It´s time for you to leave. Yeah, we´ve noticed", Naminé ended with a sceptical expression on her face.

"I always thought you were on my side!"

"Sora, shush. Just go ahead. We seriously need to talk", I looked him straight in his eyes, hoping he would do what I asked him to do just once in my life. He clenched his fists and gave me one of his "we´ll talk about this later-glares" that made me sigh heavily. I was actually surprised when he decided to follow my orders and walk to Mr. Ashton´s class alone, but I could see by the way he walked that he was pissed.

"He totally loves you."

Naminé pulled me out of my thoughts as soon as he was out of sight. Typical for her.

"Don´t make me laugh. He loves no one but himself. Literally. He´s so narcistic."

Naminé giggled at my reaction.

"You look like someone who has just eaten an extremely sour lemon pie. He can´t be that bad. I mean, look at this body and this face. Genetics can make wonders happen, sometimes."

When I didn´t comment or anything, she just decided to continue.

"I wonder what your kids will look like. I bet they would be the most beautiful children in all of Destiny Islands. I mean, look at both of you."

"Naminé, would you please stop? You know that I don´t see him that way."  
"Well, which way do you see him anyways?", she asked with her arms crossed. Usually Naminé belonged to the slightly shy and quiet persons, believe it or not. But when it came to Sora and me, she just couldn´t shut up. I have absolutely no idea why she wanted us to get together so much.

"You know what, Naminé? Sometimes I can´t help but wonder if you know something I don´t", I answered with sceptical raised eyebrows. She stiffened, but got a grip of herself so fast that I couldn´t decide how to react to this.

"Nami?"

She seemed to look straight past me, eyes wide open as if she was shocked about something. My worry mode was triggered at once.

"Naminé, are you okay? I can take you to the nurse, if you are not feeling well."

She raised her hand, before she slowly laid down her hand on top of my shoulder.

"Kairi", she began while she was still staring behind me, "do you know that guy? He won´t stop staring at you."

I knitted my eyebrows and slowly turned around in order to see why my best friend was acting so weird. So not Naminé.

The books I had been holding with one of my hands slipped out of my grip as soon as I made eye-contact with the person standing in front of me. His devilish smile made a wave of shivers run down my spine, while his dark aura made my heart skip a beat.

Violet eyes met aquamarine ones. The grin he was currently wearing on his face widened at my reaction. I mentally cursed myself to react this way. I have sworn myself many times that I wouldn´t bow to anyone ever again. Especially not to him. Why was it so hard to keep my head high, whenever he looked at me?

His silver hair almost reached his chin by now, showing me that he had let it grow out the past few years. He filled out quite a bit, but I could even see from this distance that it was all pure muscle mass.

I panicked when he took a slow step in my direction, while he was still smiling in his most disturbing manner. I wanted to rip my hair out when I felt the tear drops in the corners of my eyes. This wasn´t happening right now. It couldn´t be happening. This had to be a nightmare. My worst nightmare.

"Naminé", I whispered with shaking voice, "listen carefully. If I won´t enter the classroom within the next five minutes, make sure to never interact with me ever again. As for know, act as if you wouldn´t be more than just a simple classmate that only wanted to copy my homework or something like that."

"Kairi, what are you talking about?"

The panic and confusion in her voice was very clear. Even to my ears which were currently filled with screams within my head.

"Don´t ask. Just do it", I hissed without looking at her once, "I told you to do your homework on your own! It´s not my problem, if you fail this class, blondie!"

She widened her eyes at the change of my tone. She knew it was all an act. But even so she seemed to be very confused at my sudden reaction to the silver-haired boy that was closing the distance between us with every step he took.

"Kairi", her voice was shivering like it was on the day I first met her all those years ago. The tears in my eyes streamed down my cheek freely now.

 _After she had improved her self esteem so much._

I inwardly relaxed for a bit when she broke into a run in order to get far away from me. At least she was safe from the cloud of misfortune that was constantly flowing aboth me, desperately trying to suck everyone around me into the chaos that went hand in hand with me.

I clenched my fists by my sides when the silver-haired young man stopped right in front of me, still smirking down at me. He knew what I was thinking. And I´m afraid that he even knew what I was trying to do. This guy was the very definition of intelligence and there was absolutely no match for him. He raised his hand, inwardly considering if he should touch me or not.

Time around me stopped, even though my mind and my body were reeling.

"It´s been a while, Kairi."

I refused to break down in front of him. Just let a few tear flow. But do not break down in front of him.

"Riku, what are you doing here", I stammered with a shivering voice I hated myself for, "I thought I made it clear that I never want to see you ever again!"

He smiled at me. He actually smiled at me. And I had to supress the urge to vomit when I realised that my emotional breakdown was like a cherry to his cake. He enjoyed every second of my suffering and I hated myself for giving him this kind of satisfaction.

"I think that I am the one who should ask you that simple question, _darling",_ he answered with heavy sarcasm in his strong voice that overpowered mine, " if your father would know your pretty little secret, you and this school would be done for. Think about all your friends. That blonde girl that ran away from you a minute ago for example. And all the teachers. What a shame, Kairi. You would be the source, the very reason of their misery."

"Shut your trap, bastard!", I screamed with venom lacing my voice. My hand developed a way of acting on its own, sharply slapping him across his cheek, before he could continue with his horrible speech. Oh boy, now he was pissed. And a pissed off Riku was a Riku you should stay clear of, if you valued your life.

When he tried to touch my upper arm, I was shocked to see that Sora had entered the setting of incoming chaos. His arm stopped the one of the silver-haired boy, while his eyes shone with a spark of anger that was hard tio miss.

"Hey dude. I´ve no idea who you are or what you are trying to archieve by waltzing in like you would fucking own the place", he started with authority lacing his voice, "but don´t you ever think of harming Kairi in any way, if you know what´s good for you."

I mentally slapped Sora across his cheek, wanting to scream at him for having laid out the path of his personal destruction.

"And who might you be?"

"Riku, stop", I hissed before Sora could give away his identity, "just leave him alone. This is between you and me. You and me alone, so don´t drag him into this."

"Kairi, be quiet and let me handle this filthy peasant. I will not tolerate his presence any longer."

Riku raised one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows, while Sora cracked his knuckles in anticipation. I grabbed his arm in order to stop him, but no chance. Sora escaped my grip without any effort at all and practically jumped on Riku who had a look of surprise on his prince-like face that was soon to be demolished. There was only one person I knew that even dared to think about crossing lines with Riku and he had to pay a price that no amount of money could overtop. Tears filled my widened eyes and even though the ice-cold wind stroked my face every few seconds, they just wouldn´t dry.

"Sora! Riku! Stop it", I screamed without caring that I had just let Sora´s name slip over my lips, "I said stop!"

Sora´s lip was bruised, a bloody cut was visible for me to see, while Riku had the nosebleed of his lifetime. None of them even dared to think of going easy on his opponent, making me seriously fear for their lifes.

I stiffened when a crowd began to form about this spectacle, people watching the both fight like it was the most spectacular show they had ever seen. It was disgusting and frustrating. My fists were tightly clenched by my sides, while I stared helplessly among the crowd that was shamelessly cheering the two boys on.

Destiny Island´s most skilled fighter against the cold-hearted perfectionist that wished to ruin my life. I knew then that the outcome of this battle would be fatal.

A single teardrop went down my ghostly white cheeks, before it reached the corner of my mouth, leaving a salty taste.

Kairi, another word for sea. A danger to all the people who would get too careless around it.

My whole body was shivering, while I took a step in the direction of the brutally fighting boys. I had experienced this more often than just once. Another tear escaped my eyes when the haunting image of yellow and mysterious eyes suddenly appeared in my head. I bit my lip and took another step forward, stiffening when I heard Sora´s terrifying scream of pain.

I would not let another person die because of me. This time I would use the hidden power of my waves in order to save the people around me.

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 **Author´s note:** That´s the beginning of the spiced up plot you will soon understand. I hope I did not confuse you too much.

:D leave a review and keep reading!


	7. Chapter 7, Foreshadowing

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Foreshadowing**

Step forward. Breathe in. Step forward. Breath out.

Inwardly I repeated these eight words like my most sacred mantra, forcing myself to get closer to the two boys who were currently trying to kill each other. It was the definition of brutality. I had never seen such a fight with my own two eyes.

Sora had a look of pure hatred on his face, a look that showed his lust to kill. He roughly wiped the fresh line of blood from his temple and licked his bruised lips dry, before he went for another punch into Riku´s face that showed a remarkable amount of blood, too.

I didn´t need to look at Riku´s face though. I already knew which kind of expression he would wear. And I knew that I had to act fast in order to save Sora before it was too late. It was all up to me.

Step forward. Breathe in. Step forward. Breathe out.

My ears were filled with the horrible mixture of loud chanting and haunting screams of pain. I couldn´t bear this. It had to end. I had to end it. Even if it was with my own two hands.

My fists were tightly balled by my sides. My cheekbones became visible because of the hard clenching of my jaw. My violet eyes had a sparkle in themselfes, a sparkle of determination.

I inhaled one last time, before I closed my eyes and threw myself straight into the chaos displaying right in front of me.

I slapped both of them on their cheeks, while adding some extra pressure to Riku´s, so that they would focus their attention on me. Both of the boys gave me a surprised look, showing me that they obviously haven´t expected that.

"Stop it right there", I hissed with venom in my voice that made both of them stop in their tracks, even though they didn´t leave their opponents out of their eyes for even a second.

Riku opened his mouth, showing me that he had something to say, but he was interrupted when a new voice decided to join in.

"What on earth is going on here? If you know what´s good for you, you will go to your classes immediately, do you understand?"

Everyone stopped their chanting at once, after having heard the voice every student respected great deal.

"Mr. Ashton", I whispered, while I moved closer to Sora who gently took my hand in his. Riku furrowed his brows, but decided to keep silent, when Mr. Ashton walked into the centre of the now dead silent crowd.

His bushy eyebrows formed a tight line above his old-fashioned glasses, making him look like some kind of disabled eagle.

"Ah, Mr Willers", he started with a loud snorting sound, "and Mrs. Standlers. What a surprise. You two seem to get into a lot of trouble lately."

A cold shiver went down my spine, when I felt Riku´s sinister smirk that was obviously for me. And only me. Damn. He knew. He knew about my lie. About my false name.

"Mr. Ashton. I swear, it´s not like it looks. Just li-!"

Mr. Ashton stopped Sora´s rant with a death-glare that was famous as his last warning he offered, before he destroyed your last bit of freetime.

"Keep your mouth shut, Sora. I have no intention of listening to your pathetic excuses. I have two well functioning eyes on my face and they are all I need in irder to understand the circumstances at hand. You and Miss Kairi will be punished."

I widened my eyes and took a step forward, glaring up at the man that expected my words with curiosity in his eyes.

"That is not fair. What about him", I nodded in Riku´s direction, "he started all of this in the first place. He deserves to be punished, too. He isn´t even a member of this school!"

Mr. Ashton shook his head.

"Oh, I belive you are quite mistaken, Miss Kairi. Riku is the newest addition to our humble school, having remarkable grades that a lot of other people shoud idolize."

My world came crushing down on me like a ton of boulders threatening to bury me six feet under. I was dead. Literally.

"That can´t be true", I gasped while shooting Riku a look of pure disgust. Why couldn´t he just leave me alone? Was it his personal source of satisfaction to see me in my most vulnerable states?

"Wait a minute, Mr. Ashton."

Practically everyone in this fucking corridor turned their head in Soras direction. His fists were tightly balled by his sides, showing his shackled frustration that threatened to come to the surface.

"Isn´t it his job to treat every single one of us equal? Isn´t that what you talk about every fucking day when you force us to sit in your math class? When you have to find an excuse for embarrassing me in front of the whole class?"

"Sora, this is insulting my teaching methods."

"More like torturing methods! Your lessons suck, Mr. Ashton! But you know what? Everyone pulls through this shit because everyone of us hopes to get out of this rotten Downtown someday! But know I seriously doubt that you are capable of teaching me anything for live!", Sora screamed with fuming arms.

Mr. Ashton furrowed his brows, while I stood between them, mouth wide agape.

Talk about people who didn´t know when to stop. Even though I had to admit that a tiny part was rooting for Sora. Guess I´m one of those people after all.

"How dare you of accusing me of such gravity! I will not tolerate this any longer, so-!"

"So what", Sora spat, "does my tie not sit right? Is my shirt wrinkled? Is there something on my face that makes you want to destroy my life? Tell me, Mr. Ashton, I´m more than willing to hear it! And believe me, when I tell you that I can fucking take it! Whatever you throw at me, I´ve taken much worse than that! So do your worst! Come on I dare you to!"

I stiffened, when I saw the shiny teardrops in Sora´s eyes that made him look so much stronger than normal. He was the only person I knew that honestly looked stronger when the tears threatened to fall.

Mr. Ashton´s face showed the very same expression that everyone´s face did. A look of pure irritation. Sora bit his lip and inhaled sharply.

"Are you seriously punishing me because I stepped up to that dollface", he pointed accusingly to the silver-haired boy next to me, "in order to protect a girl that almost broke down at the mere sight of him? Is that really what you are intending to do?"

Sora bit his lip that was still bleeding from his fight. I had to resist the urge to softly wipe it away. It was my fault after all. And even though he annoyed me to the line of my breaking point almost every day, I never wanted to seem him getting hurt on my account.

"Mr. Willers, I-."

"Don´t even bother", Sora interrupted once again. His eyes changed from the colour of the ocean to the one of the sky right before a heavy storm. Cloudy and angry. Dangerous. That were the keywords.

"I´ll leave on my own account."

He shot me one last look that would hunt me in every single one of my dreams. I couldn't describe the look, the emotion his eyes held. It was way too intense. There was no definition for it. But somehow I never wanted to see that look ever again in his eyes.

"After all, there is someone who takes me for who I am. Someone who desperately needs my help", he turned around and made his way through the crowd that was still frozen in shock, "because when someone needs me, I don´t even think about abandoning him or her. Mark my words, Ashton. ´Cause they are my own philosophy."

Time stood still, when Sora broke into a full speed run, getting farther and farther away from us, until he reached the door that would be his escape from this nightmare he got involved with because of me. The infamous misfortune for everyone around me.

My breath was stuck in the back of my throat. I had to stop my own tear from flowing, not wanting to believe what just happened.

The boy whom I always though of as some kind of plague, had just stood up against my arch-enemy in order to protect me. He took all the blows and paid the price that was meant for me.

I couldn´t stop the sob that slowly escaped my lips, making one person in the crowd stare at me intently. Only one single person in the crwod seemed to have heard my silent cries. The others were still facing the door Sora had taken to get away a couple seconds ago, while mumbling some Things I couldn´t catch from the distance.

I froze in my tracks, when I met eyes with the person that was staring at me with an unreadable emotion in his eyes that caught my attention at once.

It was a boy. Not older than eighteen. Tall and muscular. Dirty blonde hair and shiny blue eyes that reminded me so much of _him_ right now. Another sob escaped my lips, when I stared at the boy that made something in the back of my heart clench like I was just having a heart attack. It hurt so fucking much. And I didn´t know why.

When I saw the corners of his lips turn into the ghost of a sad smile, time around me seemed to stop. I didn´t know how to move my body, any longer. When his eyes sparkled, it was like he would have shown me his whole life story in the blink of an eye. Darkness. And a great amount of knowledge. That went hand in hand with him.

My eyes widened in understanding. It was then, when I realized that he knew exactly who was standing merely a few feet before him.

Another one that knew who I was. And with that knowledge he had the biggest advantage against me that could send me down on my knees in a blink of an eye.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** I´d like to thank all of the people who were so kind to support and encourage me. Have a nice day! :D and for the Germans - have a nice holiday!

I´ll update a way longer chapter in one or two weeks and I promise you that it´ll be a blast. Leave me a review! :D


	8. Chapter 8, A mysterious caller

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including ist characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** Like promised - chapter eight of the story. I had problems taking my time for writing because I was busy with gaining work experience. I hope you understand that. Anyway...I managed to finish another chapter and hope that you´ll enjoy reading. Thank you very much! :D Have fun and review!

* * *

 **Chapter eight: A mysterious caller**

The tiny rain drops knocked constantly on my large window that overtowered my in comparison small frame. My hands were laying loosely in my lap, while I stared at the cold stone floor below my feet with emotionless eyes that showed the mess that was currently going on inside my very soul and life.

Even though I had said those words a million times before, this time I absolutely meant them. This was the worst day I had to go through in my whole life. Riku´s sudden arrival, his fight with Sora, my former arch-enemy, Sora standing up for me and confusing my thoughts and feelings towards him with his stupid bipolar behaviour, his following outburst that nearly drove tears in his eyes, his dramatic withdrawl from the school ground, Mr. Ashton´s stupid gawking face that made my blood boil by just thinking about it…and the mysterious blonde boy with the haunting all-knowing eyes. The list was endless. And I honestly couldn´t decide which one of the events that took place on the same most fucked up day in my life, should be considered as the worst of all.

My whole body stiffened, when I heard the sound of the opening door behind my bed I was currently sitting on. I balled my fists in my lap, already knowing who had to stand merely a few feet behind me. I wanted to rip his limbs out, when I felt his amused grin that seemed to flow over to me through the air. It was disturbing. And it was something I grew up with.

"Kairi, you should honestly stop wasting your precious time inside your room. There´s so much potential inside you, hidden and desperately trying to find a way out of your body, your shell you´re keeping in order to hide your true identity from the world your father is reigning."

I always asked myself, what in his childhood went wrong. Because I was positive that no normal child could transform into such a spoiled brat, a monster, the devil in person, the Riku Aethon he was today. I sighed and closed my eyes in order to ignore him and to free my mind. Breathe in. Breathe out. Think of Virginia´s flowers in the garden. Think of anything but him.

"Kairi, it is impolite to just ignore someone who is talking to you."

His voice showed me all his growing frustration and god felt it good to know that I had the power to ruin his life, too. Even if it was absolutely no comparison to what he had done to me all those years ago. What he had done to _him._

"I don´t give a fuck about your opinion. You´re nothing but a mere plague to me. Bad. And not trustworthy. Now that that´s settled, I´d like to ask you to turn around, take a step forward and close the door behind you. Thank you very much."

I put every pit of venom I could muster in my voice hoping to offend him just as much as he deserved. Riku was desperately in need for a big punch into his pride.

I gasped, when I felt his hand tighten around my upper arm, almost cutting off my blood flow. I turned my head in his direction and glared at his aquamarine eyes that held nothing put pure arrogance and anger. Everyting he was actually able to feel.

"Let the fuck go of my arm. Or else I´ll make sure that my father will never ever let you take a step inside this mansion again, bastard", I hissed while trying to grasp my arm out of his blood tainted hands. His grip on me tightened, making me scream out in pain for a second. He lowered his face to mine, while I bit my lip, trying to withstand the immense amount of pain that was building up in my arm. Be strong, Kairi. Don´t let that bastard leave with his head high. Beat him. Take revenge. A lot of thoughts flooded my mind, while our eyes met. Violet and aquamarine. Two colours. Two different stories.

"I´m quite alarmed about the tone you are addressing me with", his voice was as cold as ice and as hard as steel, "if you just think about telling your father about any of this, I´ll make sure he knows everyting about your pretty little secret including that bastard that even dared to cross my path. That´s a promise, Kairi."

I hissed again, but decided to give up my wrestling. Pain I could deal with. I could take all the blows he would throw at me. But I couldn´t even deal with the mere thought of him destroying the life of someone other than me, even if it was Sora, the very reason why I wanted to rip my hair out almost every day.

"Backing off, already", the tone I used was daring, making him blink in surprise, "I thought you were better than that, Riku. I know you. And I know what you want from me. So be careful when you´re trying to threaten me."

Unspoken words seemed to flow between our eyes that were glaring at each other with equal venom.

"Are you implying that-."

"That I would dare to commit suicide?"

I let out an amused laugh that sounded crazy and broken even in my own ears. Tears threatened to escape the corners of my eyes, while the pain overtook my senses.

"If you would have been through all that shit I went through in the past ten years, you would understand that taking it as far as that is actually sounding like a fairy-tale in my ears."

He loosened his grip on me, but added some power to his eyes.

"Don´t even think about this, Kairi. You can´t do this. I won´t let you."

"Like I would care about-."

"-Just think about your mother for a second, Kairi! Amelia Eclaire Startz, the woman that made it possible for you to be born in a world like this! You should honor her in every-!"

I slapped him square on his prince-like face that still had some bruises from his fight with Sora that took place yesterday. The tears streamed down my face like a never ending waterfall. My whole body shook at the mentioning of my beloved mother.

"How dare you?! How dare you to even think about using her in order to oppress me?! My own mother! The only person I had ever loved!"

Riku stiffened at my reaction, but kept his stony fassade on his face. This was his boss-face he always used to appear strong and untouchable. But right then I just knew that I had actually managed to wound him in some way. Even though I couldn´t say how exactly, I just knew that this was a fact.

I gulped and tried to look up in order to hold back the river of flowing tears that left a salty taste in my mouth.

"Leave. Just leave. Please."

The sound of my voice appeared weak and small inside this large room we were standing in. But even though my voice sounded so fragile and almost laughable, Riku seemed to realize how fucked up the situation was exactly. His eyes never left mine, while he slowly nodded. I heard the sound of his leaving footsteps, before he closed the door behind himself, finally leaving me alone with my thoughts and pain.

I completely broke down on my bed, while trying to stifle the sound of my cries inside the fluffy pillows, hoping that my father would not hear the sound of the agony I was going through since the murder of my beloved mother. It all happened ten years ago. On a charity evening at our mansion.

I briefly looked at the old family picture that was always standing on my night table which resulted in another wave of tears streaming down my already wet cheeks. I had to look absolutely disgusting. Like Medusa in real life.

I stiffened when I felt my mobile phone slightly vibrating inside the pockets of my pitch black skirt I was wearing, pulling me out of my trance almost immediately. Who could it be? Sora? Naminé? Riku? Or someone else?

My hand was shaking like crazy when I reached out in order to get a glimpse of my display that was showing a very old picture of Naminé and me. For a minute or two I ignored the growing amount of messages I was receiving. I just stared at the picture I hadn´t seen in a long time. I didn´t even know that I still had it. Sneaky Naminé and her pranks with my backgrounds.

I think it was taken two years ago. I couldn´t even remember who had taken it for us. But when I met the happy gazes of my best blonde friend and me, I knew almost immediately that it was one of those happy days I had in my life. One of the few I treasured within my very heart and soul, knowing that in a messed up world like mine, everythink could shatter into a million pieces within the blink of an eye.

Naminé must have changed my background while she had the chance. There was no other explanation for it. She could be a sneaky little girl, small and passive in the backgrounds, perfect for actions like those. The ghost of a smile played at the corners of my damp lips, when I looked upon the setting of the picture that woke so many memories inside my head. The famous play island of Destiny Islands. The most beautiful place I remember in my life. The sandy beaches, the sky-blue ocean, the waves that gave you the feeling of washing away all the pain and sins by stroking your bare feet every few seconds, the calming breeze of the wind that managed to take the lovely smell of the papou fruits into the air and most of all, the beautiful and always stunning sunset that seemed to be so special on this island. It was mesmerizing.

I knitted my eyebrows in annoyance when I moved my gaze to another corner of the picture. At the shore of the beach hundreds of people were standing at, I could see the one person that was able to make my blood boil within mere seconds. Sora Willers. The one and only.

I let out an annoyed sigh, while I inwardly shot uncountable daggers at little Naminé. He was definitely someone I didn´t want to have on my background. He seemed to stare straight in my direction, in which Naminé and I were sitting under a bright red umbrella in nothing more than our bikinis. He himself was tan from the sun and of course shirtless, showing his muscles even at this age. He was always the born athlete so it was no surprise for me. I mentally kicked myself for staring at his abs longer than I had intented to. Screw Naminé for toying with my thoughts.

I shook my head to pull out of my trace and had to resist the urge to growl, when I saw the perverted grin that was playing on his lips, proving that it was him, indeed. There was no other person on all of Destiny Islands that managed to smile like him. Perverted and boyish, sneaky and intelligent. It was disturbing that he actually got to see me in my bikini once.

I decided to finally tap on the messaged I had received, but paused once more when I noticed the other boy standing right next to Sora. My heart missed a few beats. My breath hitched in my throat. My eyes widened in surprise.

It was the same boy I had seen at school yesterday. The boy with the intense stare that showed me the great amount of knowledge he had, even though he kept it hidden somewhere inside the shadows of his own secrets. I was sure that I had seen him more than once before. A lot of time, actually. But somehow I couldn´t connect a name, a identity with his face. Dirty blonde hair, tan skin that almost matched Sora´s and of course those two matching cerulean eyes that reminded me so much of Willers, either. I knitted my eyebrows in confusion, aksing myself why I couldn´t connect anything with this mysterious boy that seemed to have walked alongside the path of my life all along.

While Sora had his trademark grin on his face and of course his matching shining eyes that always made my blood boil in annoyance, the blonde boy had a look pf utter blankness on his face. He was the very definition of self-control, the perfect pokerface. I was sure that if I would take a look at the dictionary, I would find a picture of his face right next to the word. It was disturbing. And fascinating at the same time.

I shook my head again, trying to fight my way out of the net that was blocking my thoughts, my way of rational thinking to say the least. I wasn´t in the condition to think straight. So why bother? I was merely a step away from my ultimative breakdown. Why bother to think about the boy? If he wanted to find me, he would. And there was nothing I could do against it.

I absently tapped on the first message I had received.

 _From: Naminé Morgan._

 _Why didn´t you come to school? You, Sora and Riku all went missing. Everyone was talking about yesterday and it drove me nuts! Call me! Please!_

 _From: Naminé Morgan_

 _Please don´t abandon me like that! You can´t do this to me, Kairi! Just tell me what´s going on, already! I can´t take it!_

I bit my lip, while I deleted the message and all the others I had gotten from an obviously broken Naminé. But I knew I had to do this. She was one of the few people in my life, I couldn´t think of getting hurt because of me. I always knew that this day would have to come. I always knew that I had to drop the girl that developed so much self-esteem over the years of our friendship, someday. And this day was none other than today. My breath hitched again, when I deleted every trace of existence my best friend has left on my mobile phone, but I just coulnd´t let go of the background, even though I mentally forced myself to delete it, too. Something was holding me back, desperately trying to stop me from doing this.

When I tapped on the last message, I halted in my tracks, frozen and confused.

 _You have received a message in your mailbox. Please click on the number below in order to hear it._ **(AN: I have no idea how it actually sounds in English! XD Keep in mind that I am from Germany!)**

I furrowed my eyebrows and followed the instructions I was given. It was an unknown number I had never seen once in my life. _Who the hell could it be from?_

A short beep after I had dialled the number by clickling on it.

"Hey Kairi. This is probably the part where I´m supposed to introduce myself. I guess. But who cares? It´s not like I follow rules, anyway. I like to do things my way and my way only. What I can say is that I´m a regular guy from a few of your lessons. Don´t even think about clicking the red button, because I can assure you that I´m not killing my precious freetime for you just for fun or something like that. It´s Business related. And important. And if you value your life, you should listen to the instructions I´m giving you closely."

I widened my eyes, while I tried to connect a face with the voice I knew I had heard a lot of times before. Who was this guy? And why did he call right after I had an encounter with Riku, Sora and the blonde guy?!

"I got your number from one of your friends. But don´t worry. I´m not a stalker or something like that. This is more like Sora. He and his childish caveman-behaviour just ain´t my style, you know?...Anyway, back to business. I´d like to meet up with you at the cathedral in Destiny Islands Downtown. Just go off the train at the main station and you won´t be able to miss it. I think it´s time that you finally understand the circumstances you are obviously taking a big part in."

A shiver went down my spine. I felt like I was being watched, like this guy on the other line knew my whole life story. Ma Hand was tightly clenched around the phone, making me fear for its stability for a moment.

"I think that´s all. I can´t tell you the topic on the phone, too risky and stuff. But I cant tell you that it´s urgent. Very urgent. Like I said before, I like to manage things my way – by the way, the name is Roxas Hawkins. If you have poblems finding me, I can assure you that someone in this area knows who I am. But honestly I´d advise you to stay silent, when it comes to your identity. Be punctual. And make sure to come alone. I´ll know when you bring someone along with you."

My breath hitched in my throat, when I heard his last sentence.

"Oh, and don´t worry, I´ll protect you."

The beeping sound on the other line pulled me out of my trance, making me slowly sink down on my knees. The cathedral of Destiny Islands Downtown. The meeting point with a complete stranger who seems to know me like the back of his hand. My mind was reeling. Was this the moment I had been expecting? Was this the moment I had to die? Did the murderer of all the readheads finally find me? Or was this just the beginning of the end?

My fingertips loomed over a very special contact in my list. Even though I had hoped to never stoop that low, I seriously considered dialing this number right now.

Sora Willers. Ask him for help. That was what my mind was desperately wanting me to do.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** Thank you for reading this chapter!:D I´ll try to update as soon as fast but I can´t make any promises. Sadly school is more important right now.

Don´t forget to review! :D

 **Author´s note 2: I have corrected all the spelling mistakes I could find. Sorry about the name "Claire", it was an accident - she is the real female protagonist in the book I´m writing. I have corrected this mistake also, so don´t end up getting confused by it. :D Have a nice day!**


	9. Chapter 9, MASG

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including its characters. But I do own this story.

* * *

 **Author´s note:** I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am when I´m writing it. :D I want to remind you that I´ll be happy about wishes for the future of this story and I´m begging you to leave some reviews for me - I know that it can be annoying. I have been merely a reader for eight years and found myself to be quite lazy when it came to leaving reviews. But it´s honestly great help for me! After this chapter or the next one, I´ll have to continue the German version for a bit, so don´t be surprised when the next update can take a while. Thank your for reading the story. Now to the story - Enjoy! :D

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 **Chapter nine: MASG**

The breeze of the fresh autumn wind was brushing my tear-stained cheeks every few seconds, making them dry almost instantly. I took my time to take in this special moment and stared intently at the giant building that was towering over me. The cathedral, the centre of the Downtown of Destiny Islands. The heart of the city of poverty.

The little angels at the run-down entrance made me smile for a bit, even though some of them were missing an eye or worse. But still - they seemed to be more alive than anything else I had ever seen in the wealthy dome up in the Uppertown. This building up there shouldn´t even be categorized as a church-like anymore. I mean, it was almost as large as this ridiculous mansion I was living in.

I wished my Mom´s funeral would have taken place here, in this simple cathedral that stood among the run-down houses and children living on the streets. Because somehow this simplicity made a foreign feeling of gentleness and warmth spread through my veins. It was calming. Everything I needed in my life that was surrounded by chaos and misfortune, betrayal and Money.

I inwardly growled in annoyance, when I caught myself thinking about a certain spiky brwon-haired boy with his famous pair of cerulean eyes that could make panties drop in the blink of an eye. I guess he could be the one, I needed. Someone who showed me that he was there for me, when I needed help of others the most. He was the Person who had helped me out a lot frequently, even though he probably had some kind of perverted intention behind his actions - like earning a certain level of trust by acting like my knight in shining armour.

I shook my head to clear my brain from thoughts about him and took a careful step forward, until a very alarming sound reached my sensitive ears. I widened my eyes and halted in my tracks, moving my head to my left almost instantly. This was a sound I knew like the back of my hand. After all it went hand in hand with me my whole life. The sound of silent cries only the most attentive people could notice.

My heart sank, when I saw the crouching form of a little girl that was kneeling merely a few meters next to the church - right between the entrance and the gate of the graveyard. Her small and bony shoulders were exposed, she wore nothing more than a dirty top with a capri jeans, not exactly the most fitting attire for weather circumstances like this.

I grimaced, when I got a glimpse of her bony hands that were resting on her face, silenting her cries a little bit. It was then, when I knew exactly what I had to do.

I changed my direction and took a couple of steps forward, making sure that my footsteps didn´t sound alarming, while I took a small bag out of my black handbag. I was immediately greeted with the logo of the smiling squirrel. She must´ve heard me coming, because I saw her freezing and looking up at me in fear, until she realized that I was a fairly harmless looking teenager. And a female one, too.

"I´m sorry!", she shouted, while hurrying to stand up. I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

"Sorry for what", I asked, while bending down to her eye-level, "I don´t see anything wrong here. Well, almost. Why exactly are you crying in front of the church?"

"I-I just couldn´t hold it anymore. I´m so sorry." Her silent sniffles made my heart break, while her startling blue eyes made me pause for a second.

 _Why was it that these eyes looked so familiar?_

"It´s alright. Let´s change the topic", I said with a hopefully claming smile on my lips, "I´m Kairi. What´s your name?"

I saw her widen her eyes at the mentioning of my name. But she caught control over her expression so fast that I couldn´t put my finger on what it actually meant.

"Xion." Her voice was the very definition of innocence and it made me smile again at her. I inwardly wished there were more people like her. The hearts of children surely were remarkable things, this blood-stained world was desperately in need for.

"Xion", I tested the sound of her name on my tongue, "what a lovely name."

Her short black hair framed her pale complexion and startling blue eyes. And even though she had a few scratches and some dirt on her cheeks, she was definatley one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen, despite her young age. I was guessing she could be no older than ten or eleven years old.

I shook my head, remembering what I wanted to do in the first place.

"Here. I have something for you. It´s a strawberry bun from the café I´m working at. You take it."

She widened her eyes in surprise and shook her head so fast that I was almost afraid it could fall off every second.

"No! I can´t accept it! It must´ve been expensive!"

The fact that she considered 50 munny as an expensive amount of money almost frightened me. But, I guess, not everyone was born as the daughter of the wealthy major Richard Startz, ruler of this divided islands. I shook my head.

"I´ve got it covered. Don´t worry your pretty little head, Xion."

I took the bun out of the bag and laid it in her small palms, so that she couldn´t possibly think of giving it back. I mean, only the smell this masterpiece was producing, was the very defintion of tasty. She took a bite almost instantly, showing me how hungry she had been. I crossed my arms, while I watched her eat the bun in a record time with pity in my eyes. I noticed the constant shivering of her small body and put my dark red scarf around her shoulders, making her blink in surprise about my friendliness towards her.

"Why are you doing this?"

Now it was my turn to blink in surprise. Had she seriously just asked me why I decided to help her? A little girl in need?

"Why, you ask?", I swallowed to buy me some time. I wasn´t so sure myself. It was like some kind of instinct. I had to help this girl. Everyone who would just dare to look at her, would help her at any cost, I was sure of it.

"Well, there isn´t a reason why I should not help you. After all helping people is good. An act of love. Don´t they teach you kids this stuff in Primary School?"

She took another bite of the bun.

"I guess you´re right."

"Yeah, indeed, she is."

I shiver went down my spine, when I heard a third voice joining our conversation. The voice of a young man. And not just any young man. I was certain that it was the voice of the mysterious caller that had ordered me here.

I quickly got on my feet anf turned around, while stepping in front of Xion protectively. I widened my eyes in surprise, when I was met with the ocean-blue eyes of the blonde guy that was staring at me after Sora had left the school on Monday.

"Ro-!"

"Shhhh", the blonde boy stopped Xion from talking anymore, "just go to your brother. He´s looking all over for you. Kairi and I have some talking to do."

Xion paused, obviously unsure of what to do, until she slightly squeezed my hand, before she left the setting of upcoming chaos. I watched her leave from the corner of my eye, seeing my red scarf flying behind her, while she ran away from us.

"So, you know her?", I asked hesitantly, while I still watched little Xion run away to a safer place. He ignored my question and countered with one of his own.

"So, you decided to come, after all. And alone, too."

I raised my eyebrow at the blonde boy, or Roxas Hawkins, who was staring at me intently, while he tried to break the heavy silence laying in the air. His eyes had almost the exact shade of Sora´s or Xion´s, making me wonder for a second, if it was some kind of gene that was passed from Downtowner to Downtowner. They all had such unique and beautiful eyes.

"Don´t tell me you had expected something else", I countered with crossed arms in order to appear strong and confident, "after all it isn´t my style to crouch in front of someone. I´m not afraid."

"Not afraid to die?", he asked with now equally crossed arms and that trademark expression of absolute blankness on his face. _Damn him and his pokerface!_

"What´s about you and protecting me", I asked with now slightly shivering voice he seemed to noctice, "I thought you made it clear that nothing would happen to me. Or was it all just a lie in order to lure me out so you could kill me?"

"Nah. I don´t belong to this kind of people. I never break my promises."

"Then why don´t you go visit your mommy and earn a lolli for your remarkable behaviour?", I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Wow, feisty. But frankly, my dear, I don´t have a mother."

My hostility dropped immediately, when I heard those words slip from his lips. But still, his Pokerface remained undisturbed. Perfect. Blank.

"I´m sorry", I mumbled while I bowed my head in shame for bringing up such a dark topic, "I didn´t mean to remind you of it."

"No problem. After all, you can relate how I feel the best."

He took another step in my direction, carefully closing the gap between us, while his ocean-blue eyes never broke contact with mine.

"Since you don´t have a mother, either."

My breath hitched in my throat. My heartbeat fastened. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Has the media really gotten so sneaky? Or do you know me better than you are letting me guess?", I asked. He chuckled at my confusion and stroke some of his dirty blonde bangs out of his tan face.

"Don´t worry. Like I said on the phone earlier - I´m not a stalker. I like to manage things the less creepier way."

"I have no Intention of insulting you, but everything about this encounter seems creepy to me", I whispered, while I kept my guard up, still not knowing what he was up to. He chuckled again, so that his broad shoulders rose and sank rhythmically.

"Come on. Be brave and take a step away from normality. Don´t follow the mainstream, make things different."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You´re right. You don´t know me well enough to understand my philosophy. I humbly apologize for confusing you."

I furrowed my eyebrows, a sign of my obvious frustration that was building up with every sentence that left his lips.

"How come I have never seen you in my classes? You told me that we had some classes together."

He raised his hands in order to show me that he couldn´t answer this question, either.

"I don´t know. I mostly use Mr. Ashton´s classes to straighten out my sleeping deficites. And I´m sure that others do that, too. I´m not blaming you for not having noticed me."

"But you hang around Sora a lot, don´t you", I added with confusion lacing my voice, "if you are spending a lot of time around Sora, it would have been impossible for us to miss each other. It´s so bizarre. I feel like I have seen you on more than just one occasion in my life, but I just can´t recall some memories, anything at all, when it Comes to you."

His face stayed calm. The perfect fassade that didn´t let me get a glimpse of his thoughts behind it for even the blink of an eye. It was disturbing. And almost challenging.

"How do you know that I hang around Sora a lot?", he asked calmly. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Pardon? On the phone you clearly sounded like you would know Willers more than just a bit. And to be honest...you are kind of part of my mobile phone background."

Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrow at me. It was perfectly shaped, dark blonde, and completed his perfect pokerface without trying.

"Pardon?"

"Don´t get any ideas, Mister. It was Naminé. She changed it. And you were standing next to Sora. On the beach of the play island."

He stiffened, when I mentioned Naminé, but his face didn´t let me see past his Fassade, once again. I decided to concentrate on his lower body in order to get my chances up. I just had to understand this guy.

"I see. Must´ve been a really old picture, though. It´s been years since I´ve been on this island."

When I decided to stay silent, he began to talk once more.

"Well, you know. I´m actually a year older than that douchebag. Eighteen, almost turning nineteen. The reason behind that? I didn´t make my Junior year and had to start all over again. That was when I got classes with you and him."

I widened my eyes in surprise. I certainly didn´t see that one coming. There was absolutely nothing about him that made me consider him dumb for even a second. Mysterious and kind of disturbing, yes. But not dumb. I shook my head in annoyance. My brain was filled with shit that didn´t help me at all. The pieces of the puzzle just wouldn´t fit.

"Just get to the point, already", I was losing my temper and my patience with every passing second of this conversation, "I have not come here to listen to your senseless rambling, Roxas. I came here in order to get answers to the questions I have. Why are all the redheads dying? Who is after me? Because something is just telling me that the murderer is after me, indeed, but unable to locate me."

He looked at me intently, while I walked circles around him, grasping my head between my pale hands and letting the thoughts flow out of me.

"I´m confused. I´m scared. And I want answers", I halted in my tracks and looked him straight in the eye, standing merely a feet away from him, "I know that you ordered me here for a reason, Roxas. So please, tell me what the fuck is going on, here. Please, I´m begging you!"

He blinked. And for the first time on this day, I could see his fassade, his pokerface, crumble for a bit. An emotion I couldn´t put my finger on, slowly made its way up to his eyes - the so called mirrors to the souls of people. He gulped, while he laid his hand on my cheek, making the contrast between our skin colours and body temperature stand out. I widened my eyes at the contact. Not because he was practically a stranger, but mostly because of the fact that I was kind of enjoying his gentle touch, his strange way of expressing himself.

"Kairi", he whispered with a strangely serious tone that made me hold my breath, "what is it that you are feeling when you think of Sora?"

I took a step back, so that his hand was now grasping nothing more than air.

"Where the hell did that question come from?", I raised my voice in pure irritation, while he kept a serious gaze on his handsome face.

"Just answer the question and I´ll answer yours."

I paused, before I looked down to the stony ground below my feet. Well, what did I feel exactly when it came to Sora? My heart clenched, when a picture of his trademark panty-dropper-grin appeared somewhere in the dephts of my memory. His spiky brown hair. His ocean-blue eyes. His tan and warm skin that made mine tingle whenever he possessed the nerve to touch me, even though I clearly forbid it. His annoying behaviour that was always mixed up with some perverted background intention and his restless flirting, stalking and refusal to give up on asking me out. But then again, it fet like I had just scratched the surface. There was this other side if him - the one that he let out only when I was in real danger. His bravery. His will to help me - to lend me his strong hand in order to pull me out of the chaos that was swallowing me from head to toe - that was Sora´s other half.

I sighed, while Roxas let me think about his question, he obviously seemed to find important. I mean, why else would he waste his time to meet me in front of a church? Secretely. I was certain that he had other things to do than ask me about my relationship status.

"Well", I started, while my tongue decided to tangle itself inside my mouth, making it even harder for me to answer him, "I can´t answer the question with certainty. I definately feel something strong for this stupid skirtchaser. But I can´t quite decide wheather it´s supposed to be positive or negative. I´m sorry, if I couldn´t answer your question."

Roxas closed his eyes, so that his thick eyelashes covered the dark bags under his eyes I noticed just then. He seemed to have really big sleep deficites. I wondered why.

"Roxas?"

"Don´t worry. I´m still there...just thinking."

"Well...thinking about what?", I asked with once again rising impatience.

"About you and him and me", he answered with still closed eyes. I raised my eyebrow in confusion. Why the hell wouldn´t he open his eyes? Was this the moment where he couldn´t control his fassade any longer? But what was it exactly that he had to hide from me?

"I´m afraid that I don´t understand. I´m even more confused than I was before. What is it that you´re going at, Roxas?"

"Where I´m going at, you ask", he repeated with a sigh, "I slowly moving towards the end of the road of us three."

"What the hell are you-?"

"Be quiet!", he hissed with now wide open eyes, before he took my hand in his and hurried closer to the church entrance. I didn´t refuse to follow his order. The sudden alarming tone in his voice was enough to let me forget what I wanted to ask. When he decided to show emotion, I was sure that some major fucked up chaos must be incoming.

He gently pressed his body against mine, while he pushed me behind the slightly opened door in order to hide us from something. I blushed at our close proximity and ducked my head to hide my pink cheeks. The fainted smell of his deodorant made its way up my nostrils, making me sigh at the calming smell.

Roxas moved even closer to me, when the alarming sound of nearing footsteps was heard. I stiffend between his hard body and the cold wall behind my back, while I felt his breath hitch in his throat that was close to my ear.

"Don´t make a single sound. You hear me?", he whispered while gently pressing up against me. I nodded in understanding and listened to the footsteps that were nearing, while I feared that whoever they might belong to, could hear the loud beeting of our hearts.

"Why the hell are we here? I haven´t been to a church in ages. I don´t believe in all this angel and protection shit. Let´s go to the headquarters, already."

"I thought I had heard something but must´ve been just my paranoia."

"Damn right you are. Now lets get our asses going, before the boss gets mad at us. He won´t let us hear the end, if we come late to our evening meeting."

"It´s not like there was anything spectacular, today. No redheads. No incidents worth mentioning. And besides, Hawkins is practically late all the time and doesn´t even get a scolding from the boss. I think, we have the right to be late for once, too."

I widened my eyes, after my ears had processed this information. From the sounds of it, I got the impression that these guys were part of some kind of street gang with a seriously PMS-ing boss that seemed to have a serious Problem with redheads. And Roxas was part of this gang, too.

It was then, when I suddenly felt very uncomfortable and cornered - in more than one way, but Roxas slightly squeezed my hand in order to calm me and my thoughts that were racing around a headline that screamed danger.

I slightly calmed, when I heared their footsteps leaving the church-area, making me sigh out in relief for a second. Roxas took his time, before he hesitantly put some distance between us, while staring into my violet orbs with his startling blue ones that shone with some kind of suppressed emotion.

"Roxas? I think you have some serious explaining to do."

"Do I now?", he countered with half-heartedly voice that made me cross my arms.

"Kairi, I think that secretely you do already know what´s going on."

"Say it", I demanded with determined voice, "I want you to say it, to voice my thoughts."

He nodded, his eyes never left mine, before he lowered his face to mine, stopping a few centimeters next to my ear.

"Have you ever heard of an organization called MASG?"

I blinked in surprise. Another weird question I didn´t see coming at all. I shook my head and didn´t dare to make the slightest sound in order to encourage him to keep talking.

"Well, it´s not some invented name without sense behind it, you know? MASG stands for nothing else but **M** ovement **A** gainst **S** tartz´ **G** overnment."

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 **Author´s note:** I hope I could eradicate some confusion among you! XD It´ll all come together, trust me. For now - leave me a review and have a nice day! :D


	10. Chapter 10, The boy behind the mask

**Summary:** She wanted nothing more than to live like a normal teenager. He wanted nothing more than to revenge the death of his parents…and maybe to get in her pants. A boy and a girl caught up in a net of lies and hurting pasts – will they walk out of this hand in hand? Or will they bow to the will of destiny?

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 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts including its characters. But I do own this story.

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 **10\. The boy behind the mask**

Time stood still, as I was processing what had left Roxas´ lips mere seconds ago. I was sure that I looked like a wreck, having just heard the confirmation of the downfall of my family. When I dared to look up to his face, this disturbing blank fassade, I searched his eyes in order to make sure he wasn´t lying to me.

"Well? Are you going to say something?" My voice was quivering but I was sure that it wasn´t thanks to the cold wind that passed us every few seconds. I was terrified. Scared to death. And he honestly didn´t have any feelings or thoughts he could show on his face? Did he lure me out in order to see me self destruct?

"I am waiting for you to say something." His voice was clear and strong, just like always when he spoke. I raised my eyebrow.

"You can´t be serious, Roxas! You just told me about a gang that wants to kill my family! What am I supposed to say?! I have to do something, not waste my time by talking about it! I want actions, not words!"

"Calm down." He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. "I want you to come with me."

"Oh, now you want to kidnap me? What a cheap trick!" I wriggled myself out of his grasp but it did take only a second or two, until he had grasped me again. This time a lot firmer.

"I am a member of MASG. That´s true. But I also have the intention of helping you to get out of this situation, Kairi. Now, do you want my help? Or do you want to wait until they come and get you? `Cause let me tell you, if they do, I won´t be able to save you anymore."

I sank to my knees, while he followed me. I was kind of surprised, when he put his arms around my shivering frame. And quite gently.

"I know that this is hard, Kairi. But you have to get up and live. Fight for it. Don´t let yourself get knocked down by anyone. Not ever."

I shook my head, while I felt the first tears stream down my cheeks.

"Why are you doing this?" I looked up. "Why, Roxas?"

"Why am I doing what?" His hand travelled to my cheeks, where he gently wiped my tears away with his thumb.

"Helping me." I found myself to be quite surprised, when I saw his perfect fassade crumble for a moment. His eyes searched mine. Cerulean met violet. It was as if we were caught in a trance, not being able to break out of it.

"Why, you ask? There are things in life you just do."

He rose to his feet and reached out his hand to me. "Now, do you trust me?"

I hesitated for a moment, but Roxas was patient with me and didn´t move an inch.

"Yes", I whispered, while I looked up to the sky in order to get rid of my last tears.

I took his hand, before he gently wrapped whis fingers around mine, never breaking eye contact with me. It was then, when I saw his smile for the first time in my life.

 **Unknown POV:**

"Pence! Where are you, when someone actually needs you for once!", I shouted.

"Idiot, I am sitting right behind you." I turned around in order to see him sitting on the black leather couch with his beloved laptop on his lap.

"Seriously, some exercising would do you good." He rolled his eyes and moved his hands into the bag of chips right next to him.

"Nah, I don´t think so, Hayner. After all MASG has enough sixpack buddies. They need a brain. And I am more than willing and fitting to act the part."

I grumbled. "Whatever. Have you seen the boss around? We worked our asses off to get here on time and then he just decides to give a fuck about us? What the hell?"

"Calm down, Hayner. It appears as if the boss would have some serious trouble in his life right now. We shall not interfere until he is ready to face us."

"Can you just answer my questions for once? I came here to plan ahead. I want to rumble, not hear you ramble. Geez, sometimes I am seriously asking myself why I even bother to put up with you guys."

Pence sighed and stroke a strand of his dark brown hair out of his face. He looked more tired than ever with his dark circles under his eyes.

"He hasn´t left his quarters for days. He didn´t eat. He didn´t talk. And most of all he punched the wall like all the time. He is a wreck. Broken. Frustrated. And Roxas told us to wait for him."

"Why the hell would we want to wait for Mr. Favourite? I know he and the boss are like shit close. But what does he hope to achieve?"

"Well, he obviously has a plan." Pence fixed his headband to control the bushy mess of hair on his head. I groaned in annoyance.

"What´s with you and all the thinking stuff? I bet, if we would just waltz up there and knock some sence into him, he would return to his old self in no time."

Now it was Pence´s turn to groan. "I can´t believe, such stupidiy actually exists among our gang. Hayner, he would wipe the floor with you. No offence, it is the truth. He could take you drunk. No one, maybe Roxas, but no one else is a match to him. He is not human when it comes to fighting."

"Whatever." I grumbled while crossing my muscular arms.

"We can just hope that Roxas knows what he is doing. `Cause MASG needs his boss. We are nothing but helpless puppies without him."

"Why not make Roxas the boss, if he is a match to him, anyway?" I flexed my biceps with satisfaction. Yeah, working out has definitely paid off. Pence shook his head.

"We can´t. The boss is the heart of MASG. He has knowledge and connections that we don´t. He is the most skilled fighter, having had to defend himself since he was a little boy. There is no way, we can replace him. Just give him some time. He has to get his life back together, Hayner."

I hissed, before I let out an amused chuckle. "Yeah, right. He has a bitch up in his quarters like every day. Sounds like life to me."

"Well, if that´s what you think, then you are hopeless."

 **Kairi´s POV:**

Not once did Roxas let go of my hand, not even when it was starting to get sweaty. I was nevous as hell. I had a hunch that he was leading me straight to the house of evil.

"Roxas, isn´t it kind of strange that you are leading me, the one they are actually lokking for, straight to their spot? What if someone recognizes me? I would be dead before I know it."

He shook his head, while he put his free hand into the pocket of his ripped black jeans. "Do you really think that I haven´t thought this through? I would never ever do something that would put you in danger."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

"Because." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice that showed me that this question was a line he had no intention to cross. I sighed and looked ahead to see a giant stony building that looked like a castle. I had lived on Destiny Islands my whole life and still, I had never seen this hideout before. It was very hard to find. Roxas led me through a forrest, some hidden pathways and over a river. The way was hell on earth. And I was sure that if Roxas hadn´t been there with me, I would have been toast.

"That´s it. Welcome to your grave", he joked. I punched him on his shoulder.

"I am not going inside without a plan. I have no intention of dying today. Half of my life consisted of Mr. Ashton´s stupid math lessons." He chuckled. "Yeah, I can understand you. That would have been a crappy life."

"Well, your plan?" I tapped my feet on the ground to show him my growing impatience. He smiled, before he moved his head closer to my face.

"I could tell them that you are my girlfriend. No one would dare to even think about touching you."

I blushed. Like wow. I had to look like a giant tomato with my red hair and equally red face. I wriggled my hand out of his grasp. "Yeah, right. Are you even allowed to bring girlfriends to your hideout? You know, secret information and stuff? What would your boss say about it?"

Roxas´ face changed from amused to blank to sad. He sighed, before he looked up to the dark blue sky aboth us.

"The boss, hm?"  
"Roxas, is there something you are not telling me?", I crossed my arms, "because now would be a good time to spill it."

"I can´t. At least, not yet. It is his job to tell you. And I know he will."

I widened my eyes. "Wait a minute! No one told me that I would have to face the boss of MASG! Roxas are you out of your mind?! He is going to kill me! I look exactly like all the other women MASG has killed!"

"Calm down, Kairi. I know what I am doing." He took a few steps closer to the castle.

"Well, that´s great and all. But I don´t trust you fully, yet."

"I´ll tell them that you are my cousin", he said with a strange voice I couldn´t place my finger on, "no one would dare to hurt you and the boss wouldn´t rip me apart."

"Why would your boss rip you apart?"

"You´ll see. Now come on. We don´t have all day."

I groaned in annoyance, before I followed him into the house of evil.

I blinked a few times, when the light of the fireplace that stood in the centre of the round room blended me for a moment. When I opened them again, I was met with the surprised looking faces of two young men that were watching me closely. I stiffened.

"Hayner, Pence. I´m back." Roxas moved in their direction.

"Yeah, we can see that, genius." The blonde guy rolled his eyes, but didn´t dare to move his eyes away from me.

"Roxas why did you bring a girl down here? I thought we made it clear that only the boss was allowed to do that." The slightly flabby guy next to the blonde one was fixing his headband that held his bushy hair together.

"She isn´t just any girl", Roxas stated, "she is my cousin. And I know that she can help the boss. I´d put my hand under your knifes. I know that she can make him talk."

Pence took a closer look towards me. "Does that mean that the boss actually knows your cousin?"  
"Indeed", the words slipped Roxas´ lips, before I knew it, "I mean look at her. The boss knows her very well. And he has known her for years."

He was a brilliant liar. I just hoped that he was honest with me. After all I put my life on the line.

"Well, she is a redhead." The blonde one didn´t look convinced. Roxas took a step closer to him, while crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "Are you seriously emplying that my cousin, my own flesh and bloos, is one of them? I dare you to, Hayner. If you even think of laying a finger on her, not only I will kill you, but the boss also. He especially." I saw Hayner gulp, even from the distance I kept. I inwardly gave Roxas a giant kiss for being such a genius.

"Now, if you´ll excuse us. We have a boss to toughen up."

Roxas nodded to Pence, while ignoring Hayner and taking my hand into his again. He led me up some weird stairs that had at least one hundred steps. I kept silent, when we passed some other MASG members who had a dangerous look on their faces, when their eyes fell upon me and my stupid red hair that would cost me my head someday.

"There, here we are." Roxas looked behind himself to make sure that no one had followed us up here.

"Is this where your boss lives? Are his quarters behind this door?", I asked with a now timid voice. He chuckled, before he put his hand on my shoulder to calm me down.

"Believe me. He will talk to you. And he would rather die than hurt you."

I knitted my eyebrows. "I don't understand. I have never met him. Why would he care about me so much?"

"Oh, you have known him for a very long time, actually. Now stop asking me your dumb questions, Kairi. I am telling you that it´ll be fine. It´ll all turn out okay. And you´ll have a lot of your questions answered. You just have to break through his shell. Even though I don´t think it´ll be that hard for you."  
My silence showed him my confusion.

"When it comes to you, no man can resist. He especially. Now go."

He put his hand on the doorknob to find it being closed.

"Call him", he whispered.  
"Call who? I don´t even know his name!", I hissed.

"You don´t need to. Just say something. He will recognize your voice anywhere."

I lifted my eyebrow again, but decided to lay my hand on the wooden door. I took a deep breath, before I gently knocked.

"Hello?" My voice shivered for a bit. The blood pulsed in my veins. "I have come to talk to you. Roxas brought me."

I didn´t get an answer, but I could here a glass shatter on the other side of the door.

"Please let me in. I need to talk to you." My voice grew weaker. "Please."

When I turned around to ask Roxas for help, I was shocked to find him nowhere near me. He had left me all alone. Panic rose inside of me.

"Roxas!", I hissed into the darkness, until I felt a hand grasping my shoulder. I supressed a scream and turned around to meet a tall young man with a strange white mask on his face. A dark cross was on it, making me fall into a kind of trance.

"What are you doing here?" I was surprised to find his voice sounding desperate and broken, not at all what I has expected. I knitted my eyebrows. What was Roxas talking about? Not once in my life had I heard this voice before.

"I-Roxas brought me here. He told me that we should talk."

There was a long silence. I shivered, before I dared to look into the two holes on his mask. My heart skipped a beat, when I was met with the most beautiful and mysterius shade of ocean blue that reminded me of one person almost immediately.

"Sora?", the word slipped my lips, before I could hold it back. He stiffened.

"Come inside." His voice sounded weak and not at all like him. Something was off.

"Okay." I entered his quarters, while he closed the door behind me. The fainted smell of alcohol rose inside my nostrils, making me frown immediately. I turned around to see him stand merely a meter in front of me, while looking down on me with pained eyes.

"You are Sora, aren´t you?" My voice was shivering. Could the boy who had followed my on daily basis actually be the one who was desperately trying to eradicate every bit of my family? My heart clenched. My hands were balled into fists.

"Why are you crying?" His voice didn´t fit the picture. I blinked in surprise, when I felt a single tear drop reach my mouth, leaving a salty taste. I quickly wiped my eyes. Great start, Kairi. So much of trying to appear strong.

"People don´t cry because they are weak", it was as if he would be able to read my thoughts, "they cry because they have been strong for such a long time."

It was then, when I heard his own voice change for a bit. He had to fight with his emotions, too. I bit my lip, while I slowly reached out to his cheeks that were covered by this strange mask. He didn´t move an inch.

"Can I…?"  
"You know I would never deny you anything." His voice sounded broken. I wasn´t sure if it was the alcohol or something else entirely. I bit my lip so hard that it would have been no surprise when I would have found the taste of blood inside my mouth.

I out my fingers on his mask, before I looked him straight in the eyes. I didn´t find any resistance looming inside them. So why was it so hard for me to remove it? Was it my own fear? My need to deny the truth? My heart that hurt? The tears that threatened to leave my eyes like a waterfall?

"Do it." His voice sounded strangely demanding. I nodded, before I moved my shivering hands closer to the button on its backside that held the mask on his face.

Not a single sound was heard, when it fell down to the ground, until it reached the stony floor of this dim room.

I sank to my knees, feeling empty and helpless, when I was met with the face of the most famous skirt chaser of my school. Sora Willers. The one and only.

"Kairi, I´m sorry." His voice returned to normal. It must have been the mask. A voice changer. Without doubt.

He hesitated, before he followed my movements. He gently put his arms around my small frame, while pulling me closer to his firm chest. I didn´t feel anything at all. I didn´t even bother to resist. My arms made its own way around his torso, desperately wanting to feel the warmth that was radiating from his body.

"You are their leader?" My breath hitched in my throat. My world came crushing down on me.

"I am." His eyes searched mine. "I missed you."

"Why didn´t you return to school? I was worried."  
He sighed. "My life is very fucked up right now."  
I put some distance between us and I felt him stiffen, when I moved out of his arms.

"Oh, yeah? I bet you had a girl up here every single night! Oh and are you behind all of the murders that took place all this months? Was it all you?!"

"Kairi, no! You get it all wrong! I´m not a bad person!"  
"Well it seems to me that you are! You don´t just go out and kill people who look like me! I was so scared, Sora!" The tears streamed down my face all over again and I had no power to hold them back.

"I would never do anything to you, Kairi!" His voice was desperate, when he tried to put his arms around me once more. I slapped his hands away and put another two meters of distance between us. God, I felt like a giant toddler. Down on the ground, crying, feeling helpless.

"Kairi, please don´t do this to me." His hands sank to his side. "I have my reasons. Richard Startz has ruined my life! I am just taking revenge!"

"Well, that doesn´t explan why you are killing all those women!", I shouted back at him with venom lacing my voice.

"Kairi! You don´t understand!"  
"Well, then make me understand!"

"He killed my parents!" He roared like a hurt animal. It was then, when I felt all my anger slowly leaving my body. I saw a single tear leave his cerulean eye that never broke eye contact with mine. He needed me. I could see it in his eyes.

"You are lying." My words had no power. They sounded weak, almost empty.

"I am not. It happened ten years ago. On the charity event at Richard Startz´ residence. My parents were secret agents that came across some dark secrets. Amelia Eclaire Startz and my parents died on this evening. That is the truth. And I know that Startz´ has something to do with it. Now I want to take every bit of family from him. He deserves the same fate."

I had to use my arms to prevent my body from collapsing on the stone floor. I was scared, devastated, because I actually believed him. I knew what my father and Riku were capable of. Together and alone.

"My sister has cancer. She is going to die, soon. And I don´t have the money I need to pay her OP." He reached his hand out to me. "Please, don´t leave me. Don´t hate me, Kairi. I need you. I love you. I always have."

"Yeah, right. That's´why you have a gril clinging on your arm every day." I snorted in disbelief.

"Kairi, please." He sounded so lost. When I looked up to his eyes, my heart sank. That wasn´t the Sora I knew. That wasn´t the Sora he was supposed to be. That was the boy behind the mask, the broken young man that was reaching out towards me for years. It was all an act to hide his secrets. His fucked up life that beat even mine.

I sighed. My lips quivered. Because when I met his eyes I could see nothing else but pure love that was meant for me. And me only.

I moved over to him and gently laid my hand on his cheek. He leaned into my touch and let out another cry, before I pulled his body closer to mine, burying his face in my neck.

"It´s okay, Sora. I´m here. It´ll be okay."

He laid his arms around me and held on to me like I was his life line. I sighed and closed my eyes, when I felt my own tears coming back. I just couldn´t bring myself to tell him the truth. That I was the only daughter of Richard Startz.

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 **Author´s note:** I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. And please don´t get mad about spelling mistakes. I´ll correct them when I have time to do so. XD Review and have a nice day! :D


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